Of Claws and Totems
by Kechlion
Summary: When a Worgen with his humanity intact comes out of hiding to save a Draenei, he'll realize that perhaps living alone isn't so great.  His story is one of constant strife: fighting for acceptance, fighting for her heart, and fighting for Azeroth.
1. Chapter 1  Savior

I of course do not own any of the canon material involved in this story. It is all Blizzard's. I do own the character's that I created.

As a general timeline for this story, Cataclysm hasn't happened yet, but it is coming.

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 1

Savior

He had been watching this strange creature crash through the underbrush for some time now. They had shown up only a few years prior; he had watched as their home, their Exodar as they called it, fell from the heavens and rent the earth with its impact. Trees, animals, vegetation… all perished for a league around the impact site. He had not been the only one to see the impact either. These… sin'dorei, these blood elves as the other races called them, had seen it as well. And they had come with a vengeance upon the aliens. As they were now with this one.

He had lived in these lands for a few months before the aliens had arrived, the draenei they called themselves. Living off the forest as he had learned in his previous life before… before whatever had happened to make him the way he was now. As the small draenei, female now that he could see better, passed underneath him her pursuers came into view. He coiled his legs underneath him and leapt to the next tree ahead of him to continue watching the pursuit.

The way this female moved was clumsy. She must be unaccustomed to forests: roots constantly snared her hooves, branches snapped her in the face, and she sounded like a mad kodo running through the forest. The blood elves however… this was their planet. They knew how to move in the forest. She was running blindly, or so she thought. He knew where she was going. They knew where she was going. They were herding her. They would catch her. Unless… should he intervene? He had lived here, careful to remain undetected, should he give that up to help out this draenei? These blood elves were hunting her, for no better reason than what she was. He could most definitely identify with that.

He settled into a tree overlooking the strange natural gorge that the forest made. It had been a cave entrance, once, but was now just a rock face with only one way in. As the draenei ran into the gorge and tried unsuccessfully to scale the rock she realized her mistake. After a few glimpses around, she put her back to the rock and settled in to await her fate. He could smell the fear from his perch hi above her. He found it interesting how humanoids exerted smells based on emotion, yet they never seemed to be able to detect it themselves. He could also smell the blood and fatigue. She wouldn't last very long.

As the four blood elves chasing her came into view they slowed to a walk, calling at her in their language as if taunting her. None showed compassion for the frightened draenei, cowering as she was against the rocks. Neither he nor she expected them to. Out of the fog of his mind came the desire, the need to protect this creature. Whether it was reminiscent of who he was or someone he idolized previously, he did not know; but being more animal now he tended to listen to his instincts. As the leader of the group slung his bow and knocked an arrow, he decided to act.

Like a black meteor he leapt from his perch, hurtling towards the hunter. Seeing the movement, the hunter tried to raise his weapon in time but was much too slow and was crushed beneath his weight as he landed. The other three blood elves gave a yell of surprise; now instead of their comrade about to kill the draenei was an eight foot tall worgen standing on top of him. One of the lesser willed members of the group gave a cry of horror and fled the area as fast as he could. The worgen also heard a gasp and a thump behind him. Two reactions he had received quite a few times. The other two blood elves had more fortitude though and drew their weapons.

One of the blood elves, with a cry of "_Anar'alah belore!"_ charged at the worgen with a large, two handed mace. The worgen crouched down and tensed, and as the blood elf came at him with a vicious overhead smash, he sprang forward. Using his razer sharp claws he eviscerated the warrior, easily ripping through the leather jerkin to spill entrails.

The other more seasoned warrior didn't bat an eye. She checked her shield once again and went into a defensive stance. Razer sharp his claws may be, but the steel of a well built shield was too hard for him. He would have to get that away from her somehow.

He tested her skill with a few quick in and out swipes which were dodged or blocked by her shield. The sword she carried was going to be a bigger problem than the shield. Without a weapon of his own, the worgen knew he would have a tough time dealing any damage to her without taking some vicious hits himself.

She then went on the offensive, executing a series of thrusts and slices meant to keep him at bay while still being on the defensive her self. The worgen easily avoided all of the attacks, and on the last straight ahead thrust he retaliated, nimbly dodging to the side and leaving a neat set of claw marks across her arm. Grunting in pain she went back on the defensive and checked her wounds. It wasn't a very deep scratch, but it would slow her down nonetheless.

They repeated this exercise a few more times, earning her gashes on the shoulder and back; these were much deeper. As the worgen knocked her now feeble thrust away and was about to go for the kill pain exploded in his left shoulder and he was knocked forward. He leapt away instinctively and searched for this new threat. The eviscerated warrior had somehow managed to put the hunter's bow to use, and now the worgen had an arrow protruding from the back through the front of his shoulder. With a howl of anger he leapt to the downed warrior and relieved him of any life that remained.

By this time the other warrior had regrouped and, with the renewed vigor gained by seeing the worgen injured, came on in a fury. She had dropped her shield and was using two hands for her sword, swinging with abandon. The worgen was having more trouble dodging the attacks now and had taken some nicks and cuts, and the last slash had opened up his right leg pretty badly. In an attempt to finish him the warrior let out a yell and charged ahead. As her sword was descending the worgen stepped forward and caught her hands in his and stopped the descent of the blade. The warrior was stunned, and remained stunned as the worgen lifted her off the ground and set his jaws to work.

After discarding the corpse of the last blood elf, the worgen limped over to the draenei. From what he could guess about these draenei is that she appeared to be young, barely an adult. She was a couple feet shorter than he was, around six feet tall, her skin was a pale blue color; she almost seemed to glow. And she was bleeding. He could smell and see the blood she was losing. If she didn't get help… she would die. He had done this much to save her; he might as well finish the job. He needed to patch himself up first though.

He howled as he pulled the arrow the rest of the way through. He tore the remnants of the blood elves' clothing for bandages and wrapped his wounds the best that he could. He did the same for the girl. As he lifted her with his good arm he staggered slightly. He knew that she wasn't THAT heavy. As he regained his footing he sensed the cause… the arrow had been poisoned. And it was a mean poison too. Luckily worgen have a strong natural resistance to disease and poisons, but it was still burning and spreading throughout his body. Once he got this girl to safety, he would find the necessary herbs to counteract the poison.

He decided the simplest route would be to carry her to the nearby outpost. 'Keep it simple stupid' floated from the fog of his thoughts. These little mantras or impulses would float to him from time to time, something recalled from his past life, whatever that may have been.

As he approached a clearing in the forest he could see the draenei's settlement. Azure Watch he had heard them call it. Where this bit of Common usage had come from he wasn't sure. They mainly spoke in their own language. He had been relinquished to a slow walk; the poison's effects were weighing heavily on him. His vision was getting blurry while he walked out into the open. He went towards the town until he heard a shout by the guards.

Amid a chorus of shouts and approaching soldiers he sat the girl down and loped back into the forest. He should have found the cure for his poison first. He decided to try to take to the trees to evade the draenei now pursuing him. He leapt up to a low branch, then to another tree to one a little higher. As he tried to leap to the next tree over his leg gave out and the poison took full hold. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the ground approaching rapidly.


	2. Chapter 2 Preparations

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 2

Preparations

As the worgen slowly came to he noted three things about his current state: he didn't hurt any longer, he was somewhere soft, and the place didn't smell right… it smelled a lot like that draenei he had helped. As the events before he blacked out came rushing back to him his eyes snapped open to take immediate note of his surroundings. He was lying on a bed of straw inside of a wooden cage. That didn't sit very well at all with him.

Easing himself upright he noticed no trouble from his leg or his shoulder. A check of his person revealed that, aside from some scars and missing fur, he had been fully healed. All traces of the poison in his body were gone. He got up and decided to have a look outside of his cage.

Moving to the edge he took in his surroundings. It was evening now. It had been evening yesterday when he had rescued the girl, which meant he had been out for an entire day. His hastily constructed cage was set up on the edge of Azure Watch and was facing towards the forest from which he had come. That made escaping all the easier. As he was about to test out the strength of the wooden cell he heard voices. It sounded like three draenei were heading his way, and they didn't sound happy.

Slowly backing into the shadows of his cage, the worgen sat on his haunches and watched the procession. The three draenei walked into view: the female he had saved earlier was limping slightly with the support of a staff, a somewhat older male, and a much older male. They were slowly making their way over to his cage; the younger male and female were having an argument about something, presumably him, and the older male chimed in occasionally. He couldn't tell what they were discussing though, they kept it in Draenei.

A few yards away from his cage, the younger ones stopped moving to continue their argument while the older one moved over to the cage. Noticing that the worgen was awake and up he walked up to the slats and spoke a few words of Draenei. After that he spoke words in a different language; something in the worgen's mind said it was Darnassian. Not getting a reaction from the worgen, he said in a strong accented common, "Perhaps this language is one that you can understand?"

Slowly the worgen nodded. "Excellent! That merely proves Kalara is right, at least in some aspects about you." Pulling up a nearby chair, he slowly sat down and asked, "You don't mind if I ask you a few questions do you?" As the worgen shook his head he made a deep rumbling sound. How long had it been since he had spoken? Had he ever spoken as what he was now? In a very deep voice he choppily said, "I don't mind." His mind was trying to remember how to speak, but what he remembered didn't fit with how his lips and tongue wanted to work.

The older draenei rocked back in his chair with a surprised look on his face. "Most interesting! I'm delighted to hear that. I doubt that Fergus will like it much, that would mean that he is wrong. He doesn't like being wrong. Well then let's start with the basics. My name is Exarch Milaro. What is your name?" His name… he didn't know. He had a name once, he knew that much, but it was lost to him. He hadn't talked to anyone in his recent memory so he hadn't needed a name.

"I… do not know." he responded slowly. His speech was slightly less choppy this time, but he cringed at his own ineptitude anyway. "You cannot remember? A travesty. Well then the solution is we shall find you a name. Hmm I wonder about…" as Milaro trailed off with names in the Draenei language, Fergus and Kalara noticed him. Kalara brightened up and hobbled over, "You're awake!" she said with glee. "I was worried about you, but Shara, our priest, she healed you right after me. I want to be able to heal some day, but maybe I'll be a shaman, that way I can help…" she was cut off as Fergus roughly cut in with, "Don't talk to it Kalara, we don't know anything about it. He's dangerous!"

"If he is so dangerous," countered Kalara, "why did he risk his life to bring me back? Why did he risk his life to save me in the first place?"

"Just look at him! He's a wild beast, there's no telling what he thinks or is capable of. Just be glad he is in this cage and not out here roaming free." Turning to Milaro he asked, "Have you seen enough so we can put this… thing down yet?" He looked to the cage as a deep throated menacing growl was emitted. The worgen could feel his anger boiling up inside and worked to quell it.

"That will be quite enough out of you, Fergus," Milaro cut in. "As far as I'm concerned he is free to go. You should not return good favors with ill ones Fergus; that is the way of the eredar." Hissing his protest at this, Fergus retorted, "Then what do you propose, Exarch, that we do with him?"

"Let him go of course. He saved Kalara and we healed him. I believe that is a fair trade. Now that he is awake and seems unhurt then, if he likes, he may return from where he came."

"Free to go? How can you just let this thing loose after while we have it safely caged up? Should we not at least call your night elf friends to come and look at it?"

"How can I? Like this." Milaro then withdrew a key from one of his pockets and unlocked the cage, letting the door swing open. The worgen stepped out and stretched to his full height; he was over a foot taller than Fergus, the tallest draenei there. Seeing him out of his cage, Fergus backed up quickly and drew his sword.

"Put that away Fergus!" Kalara scolded him. "If he wanted to hurt us he would and there's nothing you, nor that sword, could do about it. I watched him thrash the blood elves, and you are no swordsman." With a growl, Fergus sheathed his sword and stormed off. "I won't have any part in this. When that thing turns on you, you'll have no one to blame but yourselves!" With a derisive snort, the worgen watched him go.

Turning back to Milaro, the worgen knelt before him. More rumblings of a memory once had came forward, making him instinctively place his left knee and right fist on the ground, while covering his heart with his left fist. "Thank you for what you have done for me. It is the first… kindness that I can remember." Turning away from a very surprised Milaro, he said to Kalara, "I am glad that you have recovered." As he turned to leave he heard Kalara call out to him, "Wait, where are you going?" Looking over his shoulder, he replied, "Home."

Trotting towards the forest, he tested out his recently healed leg. Finding no pain or stiffness, he broke into a run and then dropped to all fours for maximum speed. When he entered the forest he took to the trees for the reason he always had; to avoid all the other sentient races.

The next few days were spent digesting the deluge of emotions he had felt. He had always felt at home in the forests and out of the way places. He had felt that somehow, before the break in memory, he had generally shunned society as he had done since his memory was intact. But this felt different. Being around the two draenei, Milaro and Kalara, had sparked the social aspect of him. Those two who had readily accepted him due solely to his deeds, and not to his appearance, had turned something on. He desired to be part of a pack… part of a community.

Perched in one of the many trees of the forest, his contemplations were interrupted by a crashing in the underbrush which sounded familiar, though not as desperate as last time. Looking down he noticed a familiar female draenei making her way through the forest. Kalara was there, looking for something.

"Helloooo," she called out, "where are you at Wolfy? I know you can hear me."

Wolfy? He did resembled a bi pedal wolf, but that was taking things too far. He now regretted not letting the Exarch give him one of the many draenei names he had listed off. Anything was better than being referred to as 'Wolfy'. He would need to correct this if there were going to be more future interactions with the draenei.

Kalara sat down on a log to rest for a short while, and subsequently fell off the log when the worgen dropped down from the tree to stand in front of her. "By the light, don't scare me like that!"

Chuckling, the worgen responded, "You called?" It was an odd sensation that he hadn't felt in a very long time: humor. Of all that he could remember doing and relearning, laughing seemed to be the easiest to accomplish.

Picking herself up off the ground, she sat back on the log. "There you are! Since my leg was healed up I wanted to find you. I never really got to thank you for saving me. Well don't just stand there, come over here!" She patted a place on the log next to her.

The worgen slowly made his way over to the log and sat awkwardly next to her. Most of the time he was perching in a tree or stalking or running on all fours. Sitting like a humanoid was something that he rarely did. It didn't seem to occupy much of his former life either.

"Now then, we simply must come up with a name for you!" Kalara said cheerfully.

"Why do I need a name?"

"Well, we need something to call you. How about Wolfy? You answered to that earlier."

"I doubt much could be worse than Wolfy."

"Ok then… I know! Fluffy! Cause you're so furry and stuff!"

"I was mistaken; it can get worse."

"Oh I'm only kidding. Let me think here… How about… Blackheart? Your fur is black, and you have a big heart, on account of saving me of course."

"Black…heart. I can live with that."

"Excellent!" Kalara said with a smile. "Now that you have a name, I can properly thank you for saving me." She then rooted around in her belt pouch and produced a necklace with a small wolf head charm on it. "This, Mr. Blackheart, is for you. I'm just a novice jewelcrafter, but my teachers all tell me I have lots of potential. I had Exarch Milaro put a rain ward on it. Whenever you wear it you won't get wet when it rains! Isn't that just neat?" She then stood up and surprised Blackheart by leaning in and closing the necklace around his neck. She stepped back admiring her handiwork. "It fits!"

Blackheart then reached up to hold the necklace. It was the first gift he had ever received. At least that he could recall receiving. It didn't seem like it was a normal occurrence in his previous life, either. The previous proximity of Kalara and him had raised another question that he voiced. "Why are you not afraid of me?"

Returning to her seat on the log next to him she explained, "Because I… we, the draenei people, know what it is like to be judged solely on appearance. We descended from the same line of peoples as the eredar… the demons that are now in the Burning Legion. We look much like the demons that try to kill us, the ones that infest the Outlands. When we landed here we were constantly mistook for them. I personally believe it is why the blood elves hate us so; they refuse to see any difference in us and the evil eredar. And so I and most of my people, with a few notable exceptions, try to judge based on actions and not on appearance. You never know where or in what form you will find help. That and I'm a little bit of an outcast myself."

Running that over in his head, it sounded reasonable. Most of his previous memories that came up were violent: fighting and war and death. He remembered a saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' These draenei, especially Kalara, seemed to adopt this readily. As he was considering this a smell drifted to his enhanced senses. It was a sweet tempting unnatural smell. The smell of the arcane… and it raised his hackles on end. He crouched in front of the log and strained his ears for signs of the creatures he associated with the smell. Blood elves, known for their addiction to magic, consumed arcane energy due to their racial addiction. This caused them to even smell like magic to him.

"What is it?" Kalara asked. He held up a hand to silence her and listened. Everything seemed quiet. Too quiet. A few yards ahead lay a thicket, and beyond that was a small swamp. The frogs that usually were croaking in the swamp were going completely silent; it seemed as if in a wave they were going silent and then resuming their croaking. It was as if the silence was… moving. A magical bubble of silence, smelling like blood elves, and coming right for them.

"Be quiet. Blood elves are coming this way. I don't know how many, but we need to get out of here." As Kalara started to turn and run, Blackheart caught her hand and stopped her. "You are entirely too loud to escape unnoticed. Get on my back."

"You're not serious are you?"

"Don't ask questions just do as I say."

She settled herself onto his back and he said, "Hold on tight." With that, he coiled his legs underneath him and leaped halfway up a tree, eliciting a small gasp from Kalara. He continued leaping until he was too far up to be spotted easily from the floor, and helped Kalara sit on a large branch. "Wait here, I'm going to get a better look and see how many there are," Blackheart said as he leapt off, leaving Kalara unsteadily wrapping her hooves around the limb.

He made the leap a few trees away and stopped to listen. He could 'hear' the silence getting closer, and only a few moments later he found what he was looking for. Below him a small company of 150 blood elves were on the march. There were squads of archers and warriors, with mages lining the perimeters putting up their silence bubble. They were marching in the direction of Azure Watch. What were they planning on doing there, in sight of the Exodar, the draenei stronghold? Tactical knowledge came unbidden through the haze of memory, tactics for entrenching against this small company, how to hit them on the move with guerilla warfare. How he thought they would fight. What exactly had he been before being turned? The only good tactical move that the blood elves could make that came to mind was to… murder everyone at Azure Watch and then retreat. It was time to go.

Blackheart silently leapt through the trees back to where Kalara was still trying to master her balance. As he landed in front of her she gave a startled gasp and her grip on the limb faltered, spilling her out into open air where she plummeted towards the ground. She was jerked abruptly to a halt, a large furry paw holding her hand and easily hauling her back up onto the branch. "Get on my back again and be quiet. I'll explain on the way to Azure Watch."

They went silently through the forest, leaping from tree to tree and sometimes dropping to the ground to sprint through open ground. When Blackheart finished with his explanation, Kalara sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. "We have to let the Exarch know!"

"I was thinking the same thing. I only hope the guards don't worry too much about a lone worgen sprinting for them." Patting his chest, Kalara said, "Don't worry, I can take care of that."

They broke into the clearing between the forest and Azure Watch with the next few strides; Blackheart was sprinting as fast as he could go, bent partially to the ground. The guards watching the forest raised a cry of alarm as they saw them. In response Kalara raised her hand into the air, palm upwards, and started chanting. Blackheart could sense the nature energy from the fledgling shaman coalesce into her palm, then felt the intense heat as a jet of flame was launched into the air like a signal flare, followed by a second, then third jet of flame.

After the last flare left her hand she slumped over onto him and quietly said as if repeating instructions., "One flare, ally coming. Two flares, need help here. Three flares enemies following." After the last flare had gone up the guards shouts took on a different tone. As he neared the edge of the town, Exarch Milaro was shuffling out to meet him, followed closely by Fergus and a few other important looking draenei.

"What is the meaning of this? What have you done to Kalara you beast?" yelled Fergus. Gently lowering Kalara to the floor, Blackheart ignored him and turned to Milaro. "Exarch Milaro, there is a substantial blood elf company, approximately 150 strong, heading this way through the forest."

Horrified gasps and exclamations could be heard throughout the rest of the draenei. "What are they going to do? The Exodar is just down the road?" asked Milaro.

"The only thing that makes sense is that they are shock troopers, coming to kill Azure Watch and then retreat back into the forest. They will be here in under an hour. That's not enough time for reinforcements to arrive from Exodar, but it might be enough of a head start to get the civilians there."

Milaro took all this in, rubbing a face tendril in thought. "How do you know all of this?"

Shaking his head, Blackheart replied, "I'm not sure. It just comes to me, things like tactics and how best to defend and what they should do to attack. All I have are my instincts. So far they haven't been wrong." Nodding his head, Milaro turned to the other draenei and started issuing orders. "Get all of the non-combatants onto elekks and headed to the Exodar. Gilena, get on the fastest elekk we have and go towards Amen Vale. There were a few Hand of Argus squads dealing with the local mutation problems. Get them and tell them coming back supersedes all of their other orders. Fergus, get the rest of the combat ready and capable into the center of town."

A shocked Fergus recovered with, "You cannot be serious? You are just going to take the word of this… thing and cause all kinds of uproar and alarm? It's probably spying on us for the blood elves! It needs to be…" Fergus never finished the sentence as the slap rang clearly through the small group. Few had seen Kalara so full of fury. "His name is Blackheart, he is a he, not an it, and if you say one more thing derogatory about someone who has helped us you will regret it and be cleaning a hoof print off your arse!" He rage was as palpable to Blackheart as any smell he had known. The others of the group could sense it as well.

In his ever patient tone, the Exarch said, "There was no need for that child, but Fergus, she is right. It wasn't long ago we were mistaken for eredar, and now look what alliances we have. Stop dawdling and do as I say; we need to move before they get here."

As they each ran in their separate directions, Milaro took Blackheart and Kalara to the armory, where draenei men and women were already coming for their equipment: swords, shields, hammers, armor, and ranged weapons. "Blackheart… I know you don't have any weapons of your own but if one of these jogs your memory, feel free to take one. The same goes for you Kalara, though I suspect you know what you want already."

They both walked into the armory, Blackheart stooping to get under the door. A few of the draenei ignored him, busying themselves with strapping on their own armor or sheathing swords. A few openly gawked at the eight foot tall worgen that was calmly in their midst. Blackheart ran his eyes over the weapons and armor. Most of them, even made for the draenei, were too small for him. As he was nearing completion of his inspection, he noticed something that jogged his memory and pulled at him: a tower shield and an old claymore. The shield stood at five feet tall on its own. It was rectangular in shape and was emblazoned with the Hand of Argus with a black background. The claymore would have been two handed for most races to use but seemed the right size for him. It was a fairly simple weapon, having a double sided blade and a cross hilt which sloped slightly down the blade, making it good for catching an enemy's parried sword. Blackheart strapped on the shield and hefted the claymore with an ease and familiarity that told him something else about his former life. He had known war.

Blackheart found Kalara had strapped on some simple chain link armor and had a small shield and mace, as well as her basic shamanistic totems lining her belt and strapped to her back. As the two stepped outside, Blackheart found a clear area and experimentally swung his sword. Very familiar indeed. Closing his eyes and letting the reflexes come unhindered he completed an easy form, slashing and piercing, blocking invisible enemies. He knew that he had once been a master at this, but now with the loss of his memories and the change to his body, he was little better than a novice. At least his brute strength and quickness would give him a slight advantage.

He turned at a chuckle from Kalara. "NOW you look scary. I bet some of those nasty blood elves will faint when they see you!" A call to arms was heard as the few squads of Hand of Argus draenei arrived. Too few in Blackheart's opinion.

Their leader, Vindicator Valina, was issuing instructions with tactical efficiency that Blackheart recognized as coming from an experienced commander. "Get carts in between the buildings! Shore up those windows from the inside and out! Make us a set of staggered choke points. MOVE DRAENEI!" And they did; everyone around jumped double time to her orders. He could see the Exarch speaking with her and pointing to him. He had to give her credit, she didn't show any reaction to seeing a massive war equipped worgen in the middle of the busy town. Milaro beckoned him and Kalara over.

"Alright worgen, Milaro says you have some tactical knowledge of the enemy. Let's have it, I need numbers, types, details, movement speed, everything you can give me." Blackheart relayed all that he had seen as well as his own tactical assertion. "Impressive Blackheart. Now, go help the others reinforce this place. We only have a quarter their number so we are going to have to even the playing field in order to hold them back, at least until reinforcements arrive from Exodar. Kalara, see the other shaman and the priests, you are going to on triage duty. Is that understood?" Kalara nodded and Blackheart saluted, the phrase "By your command" coming from his memories. Maybe if he were around these people he could recover more of who he once was. But that was a thought for another time. Now was the time to prepare for battle.


	3. Chapter 3 Battle

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 3

Hold Out

Blackheart loped towards a couple of draenei who were doggedly pulling a few hastily downed trees in between two buildings to make a wall. Following him was a call from Valina, "The worgen, Blackheart, is a comrade. You WILL treat him as such!"

As he reached the newly made wall, the top log was being lifted into place by the two draenei, when one slipped and started to drop the heavy log. His comrade wasn't able to hold it and almost fell with him, but a set of black clawed hands caught the log and finished pushing it up onto the rampart with ease. Blackheart offered his hand to the downed draenei who slowly took it before being easily hefted to his feet. "I'm glad you are on our side," he said.

The place was a beehive of activity for the next few minutes, all of the battle hardened Hand of Argus members knowing their places with the rest of the draenei pitching in and doing as told. Blackheart was impressed at their level of cohesiveness. "Blackheart!" he heard called and turned to see Valina there. "I need you to scout for us. See where they are at and get another time estimate. Also… shake them up a bit if you can. I'm sure you can figure out how to do that." Saluting again, he set his sword and shield down against one of the walls and dropped to all fours for his top speed and was gone in a swirl of dust. A draenei watching him go merely said, "Light, he's fast."

Blackheart was only a few paces into the forest before he took to the trees. These trees were perfect for avoiding the notice of the floor: sturdy and old, the kind that didn't shake when you jumped from one to the other. A quarter of a league in he found them. They were still trying to stealthily sneak through the forest towards the encampment. Judging that they would be there in twenty minutes, he decided to do as Valina said and 'shake them up' a bit.

Once she was finished setting her totems up so she could get the most use out of harnessing the elements, Kalara had gone to the edge so she could keep a watch out for Blackheart. It was strange to her how safe she felt around him. Perhaps it was being saved by him in the first place, or her close shamanistic attunement to nature and his predatory side coming together, but whatever it was she could use all the friends she could get. Being a shaman was by far the least popular profession. They weren't shunned per se, but those that walked in the light, the paladins and priests, were almost always more recognized and well received. She was actually the only shaman in training at Azure Watch. The only two people who really interacted with her were her shaman trainer, Tuluun, and Exarch Milaro.

She was beginning to wonder where Blackheart was when she heard the howl pierce the air. The entire camp slowed and went silent then, some of the healers, the priests not used to combat, shivered as the howl came up from the forest again. The third howl was followed by what sounded like an explosion, and smoke could be seen rising out of the forest. A minute later Blackheart came barreling out of the forest towards the came. As he neared, Kalara let out a gasp; he was covered in blood and soot.

Valina was standing with her then, waiting for him to come up. He skidded to a halt, panting heavily before them. In between his quick breaths, Blackheart said, "They are perhaps ten minutes out now and…" he then flicked some of the blood off his claws, "a few short of what they were before now."

With a nod, Valina said, "Good work, now get your gear and prepare for the fight." She then turned and started issuing more orders. With concern, Kalara started to summon her healing magic, blue and green filled her palms, and the smell of bubbling creek on a fresh spring day filled Blackhearts nose. He gently closed her hands though, canceling the spell. When she looked at him questioningly he said, "The blood isn't mine. And I'm just a little singed, they really can't aim all that well. You will need your strength for later I'm afraid."

After retrieving his gear, Blackheart and Kalara made their way down to the entrance of the choke point facing the woods. The air was tense, the suspense and anticipation strong smells in his nose. A line of warriors and paladins were at the entrance of the choke point waiting, listening, watching.'

The forest grew unnaturally quiet. "They're here." Blackheart whispered. His ears twitched, straining for any sound. In a few seconds he heard whistling from the forest. "Arrows, take cover!" he yelled. He set his tower shield in the ground and knelt down behind it, making room for Kalara. The warriors and paladins around him did the same as a hail of arrows appeared out of the edge of the forest and rained down around them. Blackheart could hear them pinging off his and the others' shields, hear them burying into the ground, and hear the anguished sounds of some finding their marks.

Those that were taken down were pulled to safety and quickly replaced, priests or paladins walking the holy path tending to the wounded. A second rain of arrows came, then a third and fourth. Following the fourth a loud cry went up from the forest of '_selama ashal'anore' _ and the main company of blood elves charged. Vindicator Valina let loose a cry of "Stand ready. For the light!"

The horde of blood elves hit the line of draenei and all hell broke loose. Blackheart's senses were almost overloaded by the smells and sounds of the entire battlefield until he tuned it down to just him. He was standing a few lines back and the fighting hadn't reached him yet, but it would soon. The first line was pushed back and the second took its place soon, followed by the third line not too long after that. The method of rotating the soldiers caused high casualty but low fatality rate, the soldiers that were hauled past him were often bleeding, but not dead. Soon, it would be him and Kalara up on the front lines.

As the draenei in front of him went down to an expertly thrown dagger, Blackheart drug the draenei out of the fight and jumped into to fill the gap, letting loose as loud a roar as he could, giving the blood elves on the front line pause. He took advantage of this and hacked with abandon for a few seconds with his claymore, cutting one after another down. He was working in tandem well with the draenei around him covering their weaknesses with his shield and sword. As he was spilling their blood, he could sense the urge to let his anger take over welling up inside him. A red haze was settling over his vision.

A startled cry to the side drew his attention: a group of draenei had been cut off and surrounded. Surrounded usually meant defeated, especially when there was no healer in the group. They were only a short way away, and if the rest of the line could push through, they could rejoin and regroup. "Do you have anything to protect me?" he asked Kalara. Nodding she said "Stoneskin" as she began chanting, the smell of rocks and earth emanating from the brown glow in her hands. As she laid hands on him Blackheart could feel his skin tingling and becoming harder. He turned to her saying, "We are going to get them, stay behind me." She gave him a grim nod.

He backed up slightly to get a start and with a fierce howl he set his shield in front of him and charged into the fray, Kalara right behind him. The lithe blood elves scattered before Blackheart's charge. His tall shield being propelled by his powerful legs and his weight, at least three times that of a blood elf, plowed a path straight to the stranded draenei. Swords and knives harmlessly bounced off of his stoneskinned hide. The draenei saw him coming and opened up to accept him and Kalara.

"Kalara, heal!" he yelled and pushed his way to the backside of the group, where the draenei were in the most danger of being overrun. "Moved towards the line!" he rallied. Taking over the rear guard he kept most of the blood elves at bay with his extreme reach and vicious appearance. The more he fought, the harder it was to hold the haze, the anger, the recklessness back. Slowly the group made its way to rejoin the line; Blackheart protected the rear while Kalara was working as fast as she could to heal her comrades. There were just too many of them to hold this for long, and he was starting to take hits. The stone skin had worn off, and he was quickly gaining multiple cuts and slashes. This only served to anger him further.

A larger blood elf warrior attacked him then, wielding a large two handed sword. After sliding off the shield and being parried a few times, the blood elf came at him with a direct overhead chop. Blocking the sword had caused it to embed partially in the top of the shield, and Blackheart wrenched his shield backwards, tossing it, and the sword, behind him. The blood elf then pulled out a set of throwing knives with which he quickly sent sailing towards Blackheart. Nimbly dodging them, he avoided every missile. Kalara wasn't as lucky. One of the darts almost killed her, slashing across her cheek and bouncing off the bone. Her cry of pain sent Blackheart into a fury and he roared and charged. The blood elf started to back away but was unable to move his legs, impaled as he was up to the hilt of Blackheart's claymore. The smell of the dying elf's agony mixed with the blood pouring from his wound broke the hold that Blackheart had been maintaining on his sanity. The last sight the blood elf was treated to was that of Blackheart's eyes glowing an angry red as he ripped out the elf's throat with his teeth.

As the small group of draenei had rejoined the line, Kalara looked back for Blackheart and was horrified at the sight. He was attacking with reckless abandonment, hacking and slashing with sword, tooth, and claw becoming a whirlwind of death to all those unlucky enough to stand near him. This came at a mighty cost though, with much of the blood soaking his fur being his own. The blood elves, after losing many of their number to him, quickly backed away from him and he was running out of blood elves nearby to take his rage out on, which left the only other option: the draenei. She saw Blackheart turn towards the draenei line and saw the murderous look in his eyes. Taking two of the nearby draenei with her, she stepped in his path as he rushed, snarling, towards her.

The two draenei at her side went to intercept him but she stopped them short with a hand on each shoulder. "I've got this." she said. She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt. Blackheart had rescued her before and came to her when she called, surely she could stop his rage and bring him back in. She stood passively in front of the charging worgen, waiting until he was almost upon her to hold up her hand and yell, "Blackheart! Stop!" Just before he reached her recognition sparked in his eyes and the rage faded, his sanity regained. As well as his fatigue and injuries. He tumbled to the dirt just in front of her.

"Get him back behind the lines, quickly!" she commanded the two draenei. They took a shoulder each and hoisted Blackheart up and drug him behind the line of conflict; Kalara trailed after them dragging the claymore to lay next to the shield that had been recovered. As Kalara approached Blackheart, who was collapsed against a building with ragged breaths, he weakly asked, "Are you ok?"

"Am I ok? There's not a spot on your body that isn't wounded and you are worried about me? I'm fine you silly wolf!" Kalara moved to kneel next to him, holding her hands over him. Blackheart could feel the power being drawn from her, smell the calming scent of water and spring that accompanied a shaman's healing and tried to stop her. In a pained voice he said, "Heal the others, and leave me be, I'll heal eventually."

"If you don't stop with that nonsense, Fergus won't be the only one with a hoofprint on his arse, now shut up and let me heal you." she said angrily. Blackheart felt the healing magic working on him. Each discipline of healing felt differently, and the shaman's felt like being bathed in cool, caressing waters on a hot day. He could feel his wounds closing, the fatigue working its way out of his muscles. It was one of the most amazing experiences he could remember. As she finished he opened his eyes to look up to her and she said, "Well, that ought to do it. Now to get to the oth..." trailing off the last statement, the smell of extreme fatigue hit him at the same time as she did, collapsing unconscious on him. Quickly checking her over, she had a steady pulse and breathing, but was otherwise out.

Blackheart picked her up and gently carried her over to where the priests were healing. At their questioning looks he merely said, "She exhausted herself and is ok, except for her cheek." Nodding, the priest pointed towards an empty pallet that lay on the ground. He gently laid her down on the pallet, and then retrieved his weapon and shield, dislodging the sword from his shield with some difficulty. He then went to rejoin the others, cursing his inability to control himself.

The battle was not going well; they had been pushed almost up into the city. Valina was now on the front lines swinging a glowing two handed mace with a vengeance, batting blood elves aside like bowling pins. As he neared her, the elves suddenly let loose a cry and retreated a few steps. The reason became apparent a few seconds alter when the area exploded in fiery wrath; draenei were hurled ten and fifteen paces. Valina was still there but down; she had called on her divine shielding to help protect her, but she was still gravely injured.

Valina lay there, badly burnt, and watched as the mage who had decimated their line walked up a few paces from her with a wicked smile on his face. He raised his hands and began chanting and she watched, helpless, as angry flame began to coalesce in his hands; she closed her eyes as the image of a dragon roared out of his hands and shot towards her. She felt a rush of movement and, when she realized she was not dead, she opened her eyes to see the flame licking around the edges of a tower shield with a very angry worgen behind it. The mage cursed, intensifying his magic. Blackheart was sliding backwards from the intensity of the blast, his clawed feet trying to find purchase in the dirt. His shield was getting white hot, and the air was filled with the smell of burning fur as his arm was starting to get singed.

Blackheart was on the point of being pushed over; the force against his shield was hotter and stronger than anything he had faced thus far. The mage once again renewed the onslaught and when the force hit he fell backwards. As he felt the flames licking at his feet something hit him in the back and pushed him upright. He heard a yell of "PUSH" from behind him and felt another solid impact. Two draenei had gotten behind him and were pushing with all their might with him against the fire. Once he was upright again, they quickly gathered momentum. He heard a scream as the red hot shield hit the mage's hands, then crushed the mage as the three fell as one on top of him.

As he righted himself from the charred and broken mage, the blood elves had surrounded them. They were about to close in when the sound of thunder rolled upon the battlefield and a blood elf cry was heard. Looking for the source of the disturbance Blackheart was awestruck by the sight of hundreds of war elekks charging into the side of the blood elf company; reinforcements from the Exodar had arrived. The arrival of reinforcements and the loss of their leader and most powerful mage broke the spirit of the small company. Many of them threw down their weapons while most of them retreated back to the woods. The day was won.

Blackheart quickly threw down his shield; it was still smoking hot, and carefully lifted an unconscious Valina to carry her towards the healers. The other two draenei went on to assist their comrades. The Exodar forces drove the blood elves into the forest and chased after them, while a contingent of priests and other healers rushed over the battlefield, triaging to the best of their abilities. A priest hesitantly came up to them, nervously eyeing Blackheart. She was startled slightly when he spoke. "She needs to be healed soon, she got hit by some kind of fireblast." He then lightly set her down and backed away; the priest got to work quickly.

Blackheart set off to find Kalara, but had to frequently wave off healers trying to fix his arm, telling them each time there were more hurt worse than him, he would be fine. He found Exarch Milaro first though, directing the triage as best as he could and seeing to the needs of the patients. When he caught sight of Blackheart he came quickly over. "There you are! I am glad to see you survived this encounter without a great deal of injury. You know, you are an outright hero now! You should be proud!"

"I would just like to find Kalara and rest right now, we can talk about heroics later."

"Right right, of course. She is resting in the shaman trainer's house," he pointed to the house, "I'm sure she'll be glad to see you when she awakes."

"Thank you Exarch." Blackheart set off towards the shaman trainer's house. As he neared it, an ancient looking form exited the small hut. He was similar to the draenei, but was not quite the same. He was a krokul, a broken that was part of a lineage once corrupted by demonic power. Now though, some of their race were trying to make amends, such as this one.

"You must be Blackheart that everyone has been talking about." the broken said at his approach. "I am Tuluun, a very old shaman. Don't ask me how old, my memory isn't that long." he said with a chuckle. "I suspect you wish to see Kalara, hmm? She's sleeping inside. If you can fit through the door, you are welcome to go in and sit with her, I was on my way to heal some of the other patients."

Bowing to the broken, Blackheart said, "Thank you Master Tuluun. I will watch over her." He then ducked down and went inside. The inside of the hut had a very strong herbal scent to it. Dried plants and roots hung from the ceiling in many places, and there were incense burning. He quickly picked out Kalara's scent and went through another door to the bedroom where she lay resting peacefully. Her scent was a very herby, natural scent. She smelled like a flower he had found once in the forest. It wasn't a strong smell, but it was extremely comforting. He had always picked them when he found them and placed them in the cave he sometimes used as shelter.

On one of the tables in the room he noticed two large piles of Peacebloom and Earthroot; excellent for use in a regenerative salve, like the kind used to heal burns. One of the things he knew came from his previous life was the ability to work with herbs for natural cures. It had helped him immensely, especially when wounded.

He made the salve and applied it gingerly to his scorched arm, and idly wondered if the hair would ever grow back the same. He chuckled; a silly thing to worry about when he had come close to dying and when some had. War never had a winner, only a side that suffered less.

Thankfully the draenei were also fairly large creatures and so the chair next to the big was large enough to hold him easily. He sat down and relaxed for the first time since he had seen Kalara that morning. Blackheart tried to make sense of everything that had happened. He had been readily accepted as part of a group of people, with a few exceptions, and had helped save a large group of these draenei. Aside from the occasional stare during his work to reinforce the town, they had generally just been happy to have an extra set of furry hands to help. Perhaps it was time to end living alone. He drifted off to sleep with these thoughts dancing through his head... and then the dreams came.


	4. Chapter 4 Celebration

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 4

Celebration

He was coming home to his family after a few days of hunting for food. It was the first time he had been allowed to go out on his own. The reason was… foggy. He knew his father was gone, but not dead or of his own will, as if he had been pulled away for something else. It had been a good hunt; he had small game on a belt and was carrying a large deer across his shoulders. He was only sixteen, but was huge for his age and carrying a deer was no trouble for him.

When he entered the house it was the same every time he had the dream: the woman, his mother, and people who he guessed were siblings… they all had blank faces and monotone voices. No names were ever used, but he knew there was joy at his return. That was always the part he liked to wake up at. What came next was the worst.

As soon as he unloaded his prize, the joy turned quickly to anguish. Some unseen force pulled him away from the people and the happiness; it pulled him into pain and suffering, death and agony. He dreamt of being surrounded in a sea of blackness, at first trying to fight it back with whatever he had, sometimes a torch or pitchfork, other times his hunting bow or a sword, and sometimes with nothing at all. It always led him to running though. Running away from the blackness, and knowing he could never escape; the blackness constantly at his heels, but never catching him.

Soon he was in a forest. He didn't remember entering it, or why he was here, but the blackness was gone… only to be replaced by a feeling of being watched. He knew, even inside the dream, what was coming. He was being hunted; it was how he would hunt something. When he couldn't run anymore and had to slow he saw it: the wolf that had been tracking him. It was time.

How many times had he dreamt this dream? He watched as the wolf, no longer a wolf, stood upright almost like a man, but still a wolf, and approached him. The end was coming, he could almost feel the teeth closing around his throat, feel the life being pulled out of him. Just as the wolf man started to pounce, something changed. A soothing wind blew through the forest, slowly blowing the wolf man away like dust motes on the wind.

He was alive… for the first time in his memory, he was truly alive.

Blackheart was slowly filtering back to consciousness as he felt small puffs of air ruffle his fur, followed by a soft giggling. He cracked his eyes to see Kalara on her side forming tiny motes of air in her hands and puffing them at him. It smelled like wind blowing through the forest, carrying the scents of creatures and fauna with it. When he opened his eyes all the way she laughed and said, "It's about time you woke up! You've been asleep for hours!"

"Says the shaman who fell asleep mid battle." he responded. She made a larger puff of air that blew his hair back this time and stuck her tongue out at him. That puff smelled like the angry wind before a thunder storm. "I'm not really a shaman yet you know, I still don't have all of my totems, and I'm not very strong."

"I thought you did quite well, without you we would have lost them… and me."

"Without YOU none of us would even be here! We probably need to see if there is anyone else that I can help with, and you can come along as well." She got up and went to the door motioning him to follow. "I'm sure somebody can use your considerable strength for something."

Following Kalara out of the small house, the after battle smell hit Blackheart. The scent of blood and death mixed with the emotional scents of fear, agony, and hope stopped him in his tracks. He could feel the bloody smell trying to rouse the haze of anger in him… but he was completely spent. It was a scent that he remembered from before… just not as vivid. Confused, Kalara waited patiently for him to explain.

"This… battle, this sense of wasted life and of death, the sense of victory and defeat… I know this sense. It is as familiar to me as any other memory that I have from before I was turned. I do not know who I was, but I know what I did now. I fought in wars. Wars over such petty things: who had the rights to which lands, or who had insulted who; wars without a true cause. I have felt the weight of a sword double because it spilt blood, weighed down by the lives it had taken. I've known victory and defeat, and I know that in war there is no true victor. My memory tells me this was a small engagement, nothing to worry about, but I know I do not wish to rejoin that lifestyle ever again."

Kalara walked up next to him and patted his arm. "I'm sorry to hear that you know all of these things so intimately. Maybe you can recall some happier thoughts later on. Come on now, let's help out." The two then moved on to the rest of the town, lending a hand where they could. Blackheart assisted in carrying the wounded, in some cases mortally, to the makeshift hospital that was set up. Kalara was using her small healing powers to triage as much as she could, but she was still not up to much. The drain that had been put on her was still evident: she was slow to kneel or stand and couldn't use much magic.

Once all of the wounded had been taken care of, they moved to the solemn task of collecting the dead. There were surprisingly few dead draenei, seven in total. There were over sixty blood elves laying dead, and more than that had been captured and were being brought into the town and shackled together to keep under guard. The draenei's battle tactic had proven quite effective it seemed.

Tuluun approached the two then, saying, "Excellent work, my pupil. We'll make a fine shaman out of you yet." Smiling, Kalara said, "Thank you master." "I believe Exarch Milaro was looking for the two of you. He was over in the inn the last I saw of him."

The two walked to the inn, with more than a few draenei giving Blackheart a short salute before continuing on to their duties. As the two approached the inn they could hear a familiar shouting coming from inside, along with members of the Hand of Argus running out the door. "Vindicator Valina must be in there, I'm surprised she's up and about so soon" Kalara said while she opened the door for Blackheart.

They entered the inn to find Valina in a heated argument with Fergus. Fergus was in quite a state. "You saw how he was Valina! Surely you, of all people, can recognize a danger to us all when you see one. I don't care what he did, he almost attacked us and if he wasn't so tired from his… bloodlust at the elves he would have done a fair job of it!"

The inn got quiet when they noticed Blackheart standing slightly inside the door; all eyes were on him making his fur itch. An injured draenei hobbled into the front room of the inn; Blackheart recognized him as one of the draenei of the group he had fought out to save. Seeing Blackheart, he let loose a cry of, "Hail Blackheart, savior of the Watch!" The crowded inn soon rang with cheers. "Savior of the Watch! Hero! Hail Blackheart! Woohoo!" and the draenei were clapping for him. This lasted all of fifteen seconds before Valina cut through the noise, "Enough! Everyone out! I must talk to Blackheart, alone!"

With minimal complaint, the crowd filed out, either outside or to their various rooms, leaving Fergus, Vindicator Valina, Exarch Milaro, Blackheart, and Kalara alone in the room. "Have a seat you two" Exarch Milaro said, indicating a bench opposite of the already seated trio. Blackheart took stock of Valina as he sat down. Much of her was covered in bandages from the burns, but that only seemed to enhance her intimidating appearance. She appeared to be much recovered from the battle. Fergus had a foul look on his face as usual, while the Exarch was merely observing all of them. Speaking to Blackheart, the Exarch said, "The Vindicator I believe has something to discuss with you."

When he was seated, the Vindicator started in on him. "The first thing I want to say is thank you. Without you this settlement would surely be gone by now, and if the Hand had been able to reach it in time, I probably wouldn't be here either." Fergus look turned even fouler at that, while Kalara conversely was beaming, seeming trying to smile for both her and Blackheart.

"Second of all, what happened out there on the battlefield was incredibly sloppy! A true warrior should never lose control in a battle; they should always, ALWAYS be in control of their own actions." The tables had turned for Fergus and Kalara; Fergus was now beginning to smile and Kalara had a stunned look on her face. "If you ever lose control like that again around me, I will put you down myself!"

Kalara had heard enough and jumped up to come to Blackheart's defense. "How can you say that? If not for him we wouldn't even be here." Trying in vain to calm her, Blackheart said, "Kalara."

"He risked his life to save me! To save everyone! And this is how you thank him?"

"Kalara, stop."

"You threaten his life, after all that he did? Did you even see him when he was done? He would have DIED if I hadn't healed him, and it took almost everything I had to do just that!"

"Kalara, really, please stop."

"I cannot believe you, Fergus was bad enough, but I cannot believe that you, the great Vindicator Valina would be so…" she was cut off abruptly with a squeak as Blackheart put and hand on her shoulder and forced her to sit down. "Kalara, stop. She's right. I lost control of myself. Until you stopped me, I was in a red haze. I couldn't control my actions; all I knew were hate and the need to destroy."

Fergus was practically beaming at all this. "I told you he wasn't safe!" He said, but Valina cut him off. "At least you understand it Blackheart. You understand that you lost yourself to your rage, probably fueled by what you are, and were a danger to all of us. That's why I'm going to give you two options. The first is to leave; go back to the forest and visit us no more. We will grant you safe passage because of what you have done. However, if you return, we will be aggressive." Kalara would have jumped out of her seat again if not for Blackheart's hand on her shoulder keeping her firmly in place. Fergus was nodding in anticipation. "Or... you can submit yourself to train with our warriors and learn to harness that rage, and turn it into something useful." The flip flop of emotions happened once more; Fergus looked like someone had thrown a boot at him and Kalara was practically bouncing out of her seat.

This surprised Blackheart a great deal. He had fully expected the first option, and was surprised when there was more than one choice that didn't involve him being banished or killed. Be trained? Be… taught how to control his rage, the red haze that constantly fought him for his sanity? Was it even possible to control what he was? Now the opportunity to end his excommunication with civilization was in front of his face. Coupled with a chance to regain more of his humanity, the choice was obvious.

Kneeling in front of the Vindicator, Blackheart said, "It would be my honor to accept training." Standing unsteadily before him, Valina said, "I hereby formally induct, until further notice of release, Blackheart into the Hand of Argus to be trained for the protection of our people, our home, and this world. Rise, Blackheart, and stand proud as a new Recruit to the Hand of Argus." Blackheart stood and saluted to the Vindicator. "Thank you Vindicator."

"Your first official order is," she paused to inhale and yelled as loud as she could, "to let all of those bloody, no good, eredar-born eavesdroppers in and get the party started!" Blackheart could hear a cheer go up from outside of the inn. Chuckling, he and Kalara opened the door for what seemed like every draenei in the village to stream in. All of them acknowledged him favorably; they saluted, shook his hand, and hit him on the arm, congratulating him while Kalara beamed the whole time. Once the contingent was in, Fergus left in a huff.

"This is only the beginning, worgen." Fergus spat the last word with contempt. "I doubt you'll last long, at least if I have anything to do with…" he was abruptly cut off as Kalara's hoof collided with his backside, sending him quick stepping out the door. She slammed the door in the face of his protests, took Blackheart by the arm, and led him back to a table. "Wow... that felt good."

Sitting back down at the table the two watched the other draenei busily bringing out what food and drink was available. Turning to Blackheart with a confused tone, Kalara said, "You know… what do you eat anyway?" With a wolfish grin and a wicked look in his eyes, Blackheart replied, "Why little girls of course!" and he snapped his jaws shut close to her making her jump. A chorus of laughter echoed from all those nearby. "When you are surviving off the land, you eat anything that's slower than you are. With how I am now, I can eat meat raw... but my taste buds still prefer cooked meats to raw."

"In that case, the stag steaks here are great! Bring us one of those." Kalara said to a waitress who was moving expertly through the crowd. Turning to look at Blackheart again, she yelled to the waitress, "Better make it two!" As a cup of draenic ale was set down in front of Blackheart he stared at it at a loss. "What's wrong, why don't you drink?" Looking from the cup to Kalara he raised his hands to his face and said, "I don't know how to drink out of a cup with this… face." What followed were many failed attempts at making his lips drink from a cup. He finally, to the amusement of all those around him, resorted to holding the cup against his face and snaking his tongue down in the mug to lap the drink up. Blackheart had thought fighting blood elves had been a challenge, but re-teaching his body how to drink from a cup, or to use utensils instead of his claws and teeth, was even harder than the fighting.

After the patrons of the inn were finished with their meals, a space in the middle of the floor was cleared away, and a couple of draenei produced a set of pipes and a lute and started up a lively tune. Blackheart had never seen draenei dance before, and their usual dance was… interesting to say the least. It definitely didn't tug at any memories he had previously had. Nothing this energetic matched anything he could remember of dancing. He did remember one thing clearly though: he did NOT dance, and he made these feelings clear when Kalara kept pestering him to join her. He did enjoy watching the draenei dance though. Being included in their activities, something as simple as a little celebration, assured him in his decision to try and reintegrate himself with society. The merriment was infections, and soon had him and everyone in very high spirits. Kalara had even foolishly challenged the Vindicator to a drinking contest. Needless to say the young shaman was drunk under the table, and was now sleeping on top of it.

As the party was winding down and the draenei were leaving, Vindicator Valina slowly limped over to Blackheart. "Training begins tomorrow morning. The draenei that led the charge from the Exodar is our chief warrior trainer. After watching you fight, I believe it's going to take a lot to master that rage of yours. I've spoken with Tuluun and he agreed to let you stay in his home." She clapped him on the shoulder then. "Welcome aboard."

Blackheart was watching over Kalara as Master Tuluun approached. He could smell the weak alcohol emanating from her pores; the beverage wasn't very strong but she had consumed a fair portion of it trying to outdo the seasoned warrior. "You can use my house to stay in if you would like. Kalara stays there as well in the spare bed, but I have some pallets that can be laid in the floor for you. Now if you don't mind helping to get Kalara back there."

Standing and gently picking Kalara up, he followed Tuluun out of the inn. "Thank you for your generosity, Master Tuluun. Padding will be softer than anything I've slept on for a long time." Blackheart ducked into the old shaman's house and gently laid Kalara down on the bed after Tuluun had pulled the covers back. The old shaman tucked her in in a fatherly way.

Moving to the work bench, Tuluun picked up the mortar and pestle that Blackheart had used to max the regenerative potion for his arm. Quietly, he said, "I see that you have some knowledge of the herbs. Good, come here, I would like to teach you something. You can look at it as… a gift for saving this old one's prized student." Moving to the table, Blackheart watched as Tuluun took some herbs out of a cabinet. "Two parts Mageroyal to one part Piecebloom and Silverleaf and mix like such," Tuluun said as he ground the herbs together to make a small paste. "Do you know what that does?"

"It forms a mix for reenergizing the body and mind, but with the additional Silverleaf more the mind than anything. At least that's what I am guessing."

Chucking, Tuluun said, "Good good. Yes this is my 'hangover potion' that fixes you up after a bad drinking spell, such as what Kalara witnessed tonight. Now to complete it, we add a local flower I've found that we call Sourbloom. Do you know what that does to it?" Blackheart shook his head and Tuluun chuckled again. "This makes it taste so terrible that they don't want to have to use it again. You must keep this part a secret though! We don't want people to know that a cure for drunkenness can taste good. Promise me?"

Blackheart chuckled as he put a fist over his heart, saying, "I swear the secret will never escape me." Stopping halfway through mixing the potion, Tuluun gestured to it saying, "These old hands are tired from many healing potions today, would you mind finishing it up?" Blackheart eagerly did, taking in the smells from the mortar and identifying each ingredient, and noting with a snort the terrible smell of the Sourbloom. As he finished mixing it and turned it into a drinkable mixture with the weak alcohol base Tuluun had just handed to him he said, "If it tastes as bad as the Sourbloom smells I hope I never get hung-over around you."

"Come, Blackheart, we will get you settled in." As the two walked out of the room, Tuluun waved his hand at a totem nearby and the weak flame it held was extinguished, bathing the room in darkness. Back in the living area of the house, Tuluun pulled blankets down and made a pallet on the floor for Blackheart.

"Thank you again, Master Tuluun, for providing me with a place to stay." Blackheart said as he lay down. "But of course. We will see you in the morning." Lying down was a combination of humanoid sleeping habits and those of a wolf: he curled up and used no pillow but his arms curled up under his head. For the first time that he could remember, his dreams didn't haunt him.

Blackheart woke a few minutes before first light like he always did. He stretched out and arched his back, working out the kinks from lying on the floor, and silently crept outside. The night patrol was coming around then and saluted him upon seeing him. He returned the gesture and walked to the edge of town where he could get a clear view of the rising sun like he did every morning. Sunrise was his favorite time of day.

The smells and sensations he felt always underwent a massive change when the sun came out. The air was cool and there was a calm breeze blowing; he was standing upwind of the battlefield and could enjoy the natural smell of the clearing in front of him. Closing his eyes, he let his mind and senses wander, becoming almost at one with his nose and ears. He could hear the night patrol on the other side of town, their hooves quietly crunching the grass; he could hear their chain mail armor tinkling as they were making their final pass. He could hear their conversation, one jabbing the other one because he had recently thought it was a boring patrol. He could hear an owl in the forest nearby return to its nest, its prey settled firmly in its stomach. He could smell the dew on the grass, the moisture it provided causing flowers and grass to open up in anticipation of the morning sun. As soon as the sun broke the rim and he felt its warmth strike him he could sense the change come over the land. The place veritably exploded with tremendous, mostly unnoticed energy. The field mice started rushing back to their homes, songbirds began coming out of their nests preparing to serenade the rising sun, the flowers, trees, and grass came fully awake, sending thousands of different scents off into the air. This was the time when Blackheart found the most peace. This was always the calmest part of the day, and it was a ritual he rarely, if ever, missed. The world was awake.


	5. Chapter 5 Training

Author's Note - I will be gone for two weeks after this chapter is published, so don't think I've just given up on the story. I'm just on vacation! Have a great holiday season everyone, and thanks for reading my story.

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Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 5

Training

Blackheart returned to the house to find Tuluun up and about, preparing a simple breakfast. "Catching the sunrise?" Blackheart nodded in answer and stood by the shaman. "Of all the planets that I have called home, this has been my favorite so far. The natural beauty of this planet constantly astounds me. Tuluun prepared a bowl for both him and Blackheart, leaving enough in the pot for whenever Kalara awoke. "Just a little simple oatmeal to get the day going."

They sat at the table and commenced eating, and after the first bite Tuluun noticed that Blackheart had paused, with a distant look in his eyes. After a short while longer Blackheart noticed Tuluun observing him. In a sad tone, Tuluun said, "I've seen that look before. You were somewhere else, reliving a memory from perhaps a better time. Running from the Legion for centuries, we often have many such times among our people."

After taking another bite, Blackheart said, "It reminds me of some time before I was turned. I have no concrete memories before it happened, but sometimes things like a smell or taste will jar something loose and it will float up to the back of my mind, just out of reach. This taste is very familiar, as though I've eaten a lot of oatmeal in my past life, and it reminds me of a comforting time. Perhaps when I had a family and lived at home this is what we ate a lot, but I don't know for sure." Growling, he said despairingly, "The memory is so close! I can taste the oatmeal in my mind, see the bowl and the spoon and the table, sense the people, but I can't see anyone! It's… argh it's right there and I just can't grab it. I can never remember who I'm with or where I'm at When I try to see the face it all slips away, and the harder I try the faster it seems to fade. My dreams, these sensations, they never lead anywhere other than basic recognition. It's always the same!"

"I'm very sorry to hear that Blackheart. Perhaps someone of a more druidic nature could help you recall more of your memory, but there is something I can suggest if I may. Instead of grasping for the things that aren't there, such as the faces of people or the location, try focusing on what is there, what you see and sense as real. My people are immortal, and after a thousand years or so you tend to lose memories, forget things, but there are things you can do to help preserve and strengthen the memories we do have. Oftentimes by focusing on what I can remember, I will remember it more often and it will unlock more of what's around it. Unless your head is damaged, a memory is never forgotten, we just sometimes have a hard time finding it."

Smiling, Blackheart said, "Thank you Master Tuluun. I'll keep that in my mind and try to do that next time." They both heard a low moaning from Kalara's room. Tuluun chuckled, saying, "She must be awake and experiencing the effects of her binge last night. Would you like to check on her?" Nodding, Blackheart finished his oatmeal and fixed Kalara a bowl, then entered her room.

When he walked in Kalara was sitting up in the bed with her head in her hands. Her long, raven black hair was in a mess around her. She whimpered a little bit while he was walking to the edge of the bed, and winced slightly when he set the bowl down on the night stand. "Do you have to be so loud?" she asked. Smirking, Blackheart retrieved the potion he had concocted last night for her. He knelt next to her and quietly said, "Drink this, it will help your head." She gladly took it, but Blackheart stopped her hands before she could down it. "Just a warning: it tastes horrid." Nodding, she took a small sip and went into a coughing fit. "Oh light, I think the hangover would be better."

Gesturing for her to finish it Blackheart said, "Just hold your nose and down it in one gulp. It's like swimming: it's best to just jump in all at once." Doing as she was told, Kalara held her nose, took a deep breath, and emptied the foul smelling vial. After a little bit of sputtering she got it all down. Blackheart watched her as she drank, taking her appearance in. She usually wore her hair with a band going over the top of her head to hold the hair behind her horns which were shorter than most of the females' that he had seen. She had short tendrils extending from behind her ears to run just slightly onto her chest. She had a pleasant face, as if she was used to smiling a lot. She was very slender; she was used to working more with magic than with physical strength. Her skin was a pale blue.

In just a few seconds she let go of her head and opened her eyes more. She was feeling better already. "Here, eat this. It should help with the taste a little bit," Blackheart said as he handed her the oatmeal. After eating the oatmeal as fast as she could, she handed the bowl back to him. "Thanks for the potion, and the food. I feel much better now… wait. How did I get here? The last I remember I was resting my eyes on the table at the inn." Blackheart laughed at her then. "It's not funny!" Still smiling, Blackheart responded, "I disagree, watching you challenge a seasoned fighter with twice your bodyweight and a hundred times your drinking experience to a drinking match was highly entertaining. Hopefully you learned a lesson from that."

"Yes, I am never, ever drinking again, especially if I have to drink that foul concoction to cure it. That was worse than the hangover I swear!" Blackheart's ears picked up the faint laughter of Tuluun in the other room at her response to the potion. He said then, "Well, I carried you back from the inn and then Master Tuluun and I made the hangover cure you just endured."

An angry puff of air rustled his fur, followed by, "You helped make that? Couldn't you have at least made it taste better? By the light it was like licking an elekk pen." Laughing harder still, Blackheart said, "No no, it can't be made to taste better. That is just how it must be made. It's the secret ingredient that fixes the hangover that makes it taste so awful. I'm sorry." Sighing, Kalara said, "Oh well, at least it's over with."

"Now that you are up and about, I believe I must be on my way to go train with the Vindicator. Do you know where I should head to?" Rubbing her chin in thought, she replied, "Probably near the armory, they have a small practice ring there. I bet that's where she'll be at." Then in a huffy voice, she said, "I bet she didn't have drink the elekk dung potion."

Bowing to her as he stood, he said, "Thank you. I will return here when I am finished with the training for the day. I don't have any idea how long it will take though."

"Don't worry about that, I have a little bit of my own training to do actually. Be careful! I don't want to heal your scruffy self any more than I have to."

He left the house then and headed to the armory. Vindicator Valina waved him over when he arrived. "Good, an early riser. I like that in a green recruit. I've spoken with our warrior trainer, Ahonan, and he has agreed to train you, at least for the time being. Do not waste his time though. When he says jump, you don't bother with how high, you just jump. Understood?" He saluted to her, thumping a fist into his chest and lowering his head slightly. "Well, at least you know how to salute properly, though I don't recognize the style. It will do. Ah, here is Ahonan."

Blackheart turned to what was the single largest draenei he had ever seen. He was as tall as Blackheart himself and looked the worgen in the eyes as he marched up to him. The warrior seemed to be covered with more scars than unmarred flesh. The only hair the draenei had was two tufts coming out where sideburns would be, with four face tendrils, the two inside small and the two outside quite large, protruding from his face. In a voice as deep as Blackheart's own, he said, "So this is your new recruit, Valina? Well, you did say he was a bit different." Turning to Blackheart, he said, "Alright, lets see what you've got under all that fur. I need a good gauge of your strength, so I want you to hit me, right here on the chest, as hard as you can."

Remembering the Vindicator's earlier words, Blackheart wound up and threw a punch with all of his considerable weight behind it. It was akin to hitting a brick wall, and the warrior trainer didn't even budge, just gave a slight grunt at the blow. "My turn" Ahonan said as he reared back. Blackheart watched as the draenei's eyes glowed a devilish red for an instant, and then he slugged Blackheart. This was akin to being hit by a brick wall… and angry one. The worgen was fairly surprised as he did a back flip to land on his chest, spitting up some dirt he had acquired in the process. As he was standing up, he could feel the red haze trying to take hold. He forced it back down as he reached his feet. "I forgot to mention that I'm gauging your toughness as well. Now get up, and come at me again. This time put some back into it!"

Blackheart, still spitting out some dirt and grass, rolled his shoulder and tried to ignore the pain coming from his chest. Once more he wound up and laid into the draenei, still only producing a grunt, and still feeling like he was attacking a wall. He expected the hit coming from the trainer and to the worgen's credit he only was knocked to his backside. "Half of being a warrior is knowing how to take a hit, now get up again and let's go!"

The pain in his chest was quite a bit more intense now, and he could feel a massive bruise forming above his left pectoral. The red haze was coming on stronger now, it was starting to block out the pain but he was having a hard time thinking straight. He stood up to face the draenei again, and the warrior trainer could see the slight angry tint to the worgen's eyes for a short while before it was extinguished. Before he could wind up, the draenei said, "This time in the gut. Maybe you can hit harder than a gnome there. Well? Let's do this."

Stepping back slightly and coiling his legs under him, Blackheart let loose a vicious body shot to the draenei warrior's gut. This time it was more like hitting a tree instead a brick wall. A slight improvement, Blackheart thought. It also elicited a sizeable groan from the warrior. "Alright! Now we're getting somewhere. I hope you haven't eaten yet." With a short hop the draenei brought his fist up into the worgen's gut. Even with as much hardening as he could do to his abdominals, he could not have been prepared for the blow that hit him. The force of the punch lifted him off the ground and caused him to double over; spittle flew into the dirt slightly before him as all the air in his lungs was forcefully expunged. He lay there for a few seconds trying to get the air back and trying to fight through the pain screaming from his stomach. Soon his vision was bathed in red, and the pain was gone. He was starting to lose control.

"Don't quit on me, get up!" The warrior said. Getting his dark side under control, Blackheart staggered to his feet as the pain rushed back to him. It seemed that when he got himself under control, the pain increased from what it was before. His breathing was still ragged and he was having difficulty straightening up, though after a few seconds he was able to stand all the way upright. "I want to see the rage that Valina was talking about. So far you're about as angry as a Peacebloom. Come on, show me some anger!" Blackheart shot the Vindicator a confused look, thinking back on what she had said the night before. "If you lose control while you're around me again, I will put you down myself!" rang in his head.

Blackheart didn't see the next blow coming; the hoof met his solar plexus with a surprised yelp as he was knocked rolling to the ground. He almost couldn't see through the pain… then he almost couldn't see thorough the red haze. "Don't look at her, look at me! I want you angry. Now, get angry!" The draenei was on top of him almost before he stopped rolling, picking him up and tossing him into one of the barricades that had been set up the previous day. One of the spare branches pierced into his back then; no major damage was done… to his body. His mind however, was lost to the red haze of anger that he could no longer keep under control.

A small crowd had gathered by this point, and they and Ahonan watched as the change overcame the worgen; he saw Blackheart's eyes take on a red glow and saw him shake off all of his previous wounds. Blackheart went into a predatory stance then, snarling and circling the draenei. "Now that's what we're here for." he said. As the worgen lunged for him, he quickly reacted by batting aside Blackheart's grasping claws and giving him a swift knee to the abdomen. It didn't seem to affect the worgen in the slightest.

Blackheart retaliated faster than the draenei expected, leaving a large gash on his right forearm open and bleeding. Ahonan adjusted to the quickness of the frenzied worgen, and with the next lunge the draenei landed a solid hook to the side of Blackheart's head which sent him tumbling to the ground. Growling, Blackheart shook his head to clear the daze and now turned so he could see the fierce warrior with the eye that wasn't swelling shut. The worgen growled in irritation as Ahonan constantly circled towards his blind spot.

Injured as he was, Blackheart was taking a more measured approach to attacking the warrior. "So he can do more than just blindly attack when he's angry. Excellent!" Ahonan said. Blackheart's next lunge laid open a large section of Ahonan's thigh. With a grunt of pain, the warrior turned to face the worgen. As Blackheart charged in for a more direct attack, instead of dodging him Ahonan went forward to meet him. When they met, Ahonan grabbed the worgen's reaching claws and fell over backwards, using Blackheart's momentum against him. He planted a hoof in the worgen's abdomen and heaved him over top of him. Blackheart landed five paces away hard on his back. Taking the advantage of the momentarily stunned worgen, Ahonan quickly got up and tackled the downed worgen.

As soon as he was pinned to the ground, Blackheart began thrashing to get free. Ahonan was holding his arms down on the ground and was almost sitting on his chest, staying just out or reach of the snapping worgen's jaws. "Get ahold of yourself Blackheart!" He yelled. "Control this! Don't let your anger get the best of you. You can do this." Letting go of one of the worgen's arms for just a second, he slapped Blackheart across the face and then resumed pinning him to the ground. The jolt dazed the worgen, and when he came to he was looking the angry draenei right in the eyes. Blackheart saw no fear in those eyes, only a burning anger that was being directed in its full intensity at the worgen. That's when the change happened. Blackheart's eyes reverted to their normal shade of icy blue. He was in control.


	6. Chapter 6 Recuperation

Author's Note - Sorry for such the long break. Christmas + Vacation + New Years + Cataclysm = Not much time for writing. But I'm getting back on top of it. Hopefully everyone is still interested in my story!

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Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 6

Recuperation

As Blackheart came back to his senses and regained control, the pain came back as well, even more intense than before. His chest was on fire with agony from the blows he had taken, and he had to work hard not to retch from the pain in his stomach. His eye was swollen shut from the blow he had received to the side of the head, and he had a monster headache. The worst part of it all was the damage done to his back from hitting the barricade. The damage at the time had not been significant, but prolonged combat had exacerbated the wound and it was now bleeding rather profusely.

"You did well kid. Now, would someone care to help us to a healer?" At Ahonan's request, four draenei rushed in to help the old warrior and the injured worgen to their feet. Blackheart grunted in pain as the draenei put a shoulder under his arms bringing more pain from his wounded back. "Get healed up, and come back in a few days if you think that you can handle it."

As Ahonan was helped off the training field by his two draenei, Blackheart's supporters strained to help him get to Kalara's house. As they opened the door to let him in, Tuluun looked up from the poultice he was making. "Oh my… I assume that the training didn't go too well. Just lay him there on the floor; I'll take care of the rest." Following Tuluun's instructions, the two draenei eased Blackheart down to the floor.

Tuluun walked over to the wounded worgen and knelt down to examine him. Helping him to sit up, he looked at his back first, then his face and chest and stomach. Easing him back down he walked over to the counter saying, "You look pretty rough. Ahonan must not have pulled any punches with you my friend. I'm bringing you something that should put you to sleep and ease the pain."

Tuluun handed the tonic to Blackheart as he came back over to him. The old shaman knelt down and reached out his hands, green and blue energy coalescing into them. Just as Blackheart suspected, each caster, each race, even each person had their own distinct take on magic. Tuluun's magic smelled old, it reminded him of the tallest tree in the forest, smelling of ancient bark and earth, of roots that were tunneling deep underground. He could feel the roots drawing up strength, as if from an underground stream, and then feel it pouring into his face, easing the swelling and erasing the pain.

As his eye opened up fully, Tuluun focused his healing magics on Blackheart's stomach and chest. He could feel the muscles becoming unknotted and the pain decreasing. Once his stomach had unclenched and he had no urge to retch, he tipped the vial up and drained the potion. "Your back is quite a bit more damaged and will require some manual work to fix. The potion will put you out while I work on it."

Whatever was in the potion was very strong. Even with his improved constitution, the potion was going to work. As he was lying down he heard a gasp and something clatter to the floor. The last thing he sensed before falling asleep was a familiar, comforting scent enveloping him.

When Blackheart awoke it was dark in the room. He was still on the floor a short ways from where he remembered ; the old broken and Kalara had tried, and failed, to move him to the bed. He could also smell that same comforting scent. As he raised his head he felt a weight on his chest. Craning his neck to look down, he noticed Kalara had fallen asleep partially on him.

Remembering the previous morning, Blackheart started steadily blowing air on her face. At first she swatted at nothing, but slowly she awoke and sat up. Seeing her confused look, he barked a weak laugh. When she was fully cognizant, she turned an angry glare towards him. "How could you go and hurt yourself like that! There was a huge hole in your back for light's sake! You had me worried to death!"

Bowing his head and wincing slightly as the stitches in his back pulled tight, he said, "I'm sorry for worrying you. The training truly helped. I'm on my way to mastering this… whatever this is that's inside me." At a huff he looked up and saw that she was still angry.

"Just… just try not to get hurt ok? I can't have one of my only friends always injured on me."

"I will do my best to avoid any future pain, I promise."

Kalara stood up then, and headed for the kitchen. As Blackheart tried to stand up and follow, she firmly pushed him back down. "I don't think so mister. You're injured and gonna sit there while I get you something to eat." She returned with a hot bowl of soup for him and plopped down next to him after giving it to him. As soon as she had started fixing the bowl, the scent had wafted into the room and Blackheart's stomach was growling in anticipation. He set to work enjoying the hearty meal.

As he ate, Kalara said, "I had been out collecting herbs for Tuluun when I overheard the other draenei talking about you fighting with Ahonan. I rushed back as soon as I could, but they had already brought you back here. Your back was pretty badly wounded. As soon as I saw you laying there I... I just had to help. What happened?"

"Ahonan wanted me to get angry, but I was trying to resist. I didn't want to lose control. So… he forced me to get angry. That injury on my back is what tipped me over the edge."

"He hurt you on purpose to make you lose control?" she gasped.

"Yes, but don't worry about it. With just that short training… somehow he helped me to start controlling it. I was able to regain control without burning out this time. I will go back in a few days and learn all that he has to teach me."

Patting his chest, she took his now empty bowl and pushed him back down onto the mat. "Try to be more careful next time. Since I can't let you out of my sight or you get all beaten up you can come with me tomorrow to help me finish picking herbs for Master Tuluun." Wincing slightly as he settled down on the mat, Blackheart said, "That would be nice."

Blackheart rose just before first light of dawn and kept to his ritual. Stretching the stiffness out of his healed back, he left the cabin. There was one thing he didn't like about healing magic. When skin normally healed it itched. When magic is used to heal the skin it accelerates the healing a great deal, allowing for more grievous wounds to be healed but also causing a crazy amount of itching. He had enough trouble with keeping himself tick and flea clean as it was.

The rush of change that the sun brought with it seemed to revitalize his body as well as his mind. It would rain later today, unless the smells were off. Usually he could tell when it would rain to within an hour, and it got more accurate as the time closed. Most likely it would rain later that afternoon. He also caught another smell on the wind, one that was most peculiar, almost angry, but it was gone so fast he wasn't sure he had actually smelled anything at all.

When he got back to the house, Kalara was groggily coming out of her room. She wiped her glowing eyes as she said, "Where did you go so early?" Escorting her to a nearby chair, Blackheart replied, "Just to watch the sunrise. I'll have to show you sometime."

"I've seen the sun rise before."

"You may have seen the light coming from it, but you probably have not witnessed it like I have. Sometime I'll show you what I mean."

After a quick breakfast the two headed for the forest in search of herbs that Tuluun had requested. He had told Kalara to gather up as much Earthroot as they could find, as well as some Kingsblood. Kalara found that Blackheart seemed to zero in on the herbs faster than she thought possible.

In just a short while his herb bag was bulging over while hers only contained a handful of the plants. She stomped over to where he was picking yet another herb and snatched it from him. Using it like a pointer, she waved it in his face, saying, "HOW do you do that so well? How can you just walk straight to all of the herbs so quickly?"

Blackheart reached down and wrapped his hand around hers and pulled the flower close to his nose, breathing deeply of its scent. He let her hand go then and leaned closer, placing a finger on his nose. "Because this," he indicated his nose, "is better than this," and he tapped her nose. "I can smell everything around me, and most flowers that are useful in alchemical or medicinal purposes have a very distinct smell so it's easier to track them. Your nose isn't as strong as mine, but I can teach you how to search for them that way."

Kalara's eyes widened at that. "Really? You mean you could teach me to sniff out herbs like you?"

"Well… it won't be as quick or as accurate as me, but it will be better than what you are doing now. We'll start with this Kingsblood. It has a very potent smell. Now you need to do just what I say. First close your eyes and take deep breaths." Kalara did as she was instructed, closing her glowing blue eyes and breathing in slow, deep breaths. Gradually he lifted the herbs to her nose, letting her breathe in their scent.

"Focus on the herb: its peculiar scents, the tang that it leaves in the air, the taste in your mouth after breathing it in. Focus on the herb still. Now focus on its place in the rest of the world." Blackheart slowly lowered the herb away from her nose, keeping at a few inches away. "Find the herbs place in the forest; see how its smell interacts with the other plants. Breathe deeply."

He slowly put away the herb in his bag, saying, "Now, I want you to find me another Kingsblood." She opened her eyes and looked around, but let out a squeak when he covered them with his hand. "Without your eyes though. Search for the herb with your senses, remember what it smelled like. Remember how it fit in with the forest around it!"

With a sigh she took his hand in hers but kept her eyes shut. "Just don't let me fall while I go off traipsing around blind looking for plants alright?" Gripping her much smaller hand, he said, "I've got you, don't worry."

They spent the next half hour randomly wandering around the forest; Kalara became more impatient every minute. Finally her eyes snapped open and she glared at Blackheart. "I can't find anything!" she said angrily. Sighing, Blackheart said, "That's because you aren't looking."

"Not looking? I've been wandering around this damned forest for thirty minutes trying to find the flipping flowers using my nose! I've had about enough of this nonsense." She then stormed away… or would have if Blackheart didn't still have her hand. Bending over close to her face to look her in the eyes he said, "No. You're trying to look with your eyes still. Close your eyes like you didn't have any and look with your other senses. Try again."

After a few more seconds of death glare, Kalara closed her eyes and focused on her other senses, trying her best to ignore the darkness. She breathed in slowly, letting all of her senses go towards her nose. After a few seconds she started to pick up on something… earthy. That must have been the ground. The she noticed a sticky smell. That was the tree sap from the tree next to her. Then faintly, to her left somewhere, she caught it. That sharp smell of Kingsblood. Slowly she started turning left and walking. She tripped over tree roots a few times, but Blackheart easily kept her standing. As she got closer she could smell the plant getting stronger, but it wasn't directly in front of her yet. She started a pattern of walking forward, smelling, adjusting her direction, then walking forward and smelling again. Soon the smell was very intense. When Kalara opened her eyes she was standing almost on top of the herb she was looking for.

"Wow…" she whispered, "I did it." Turning to Blackheart she jumped on him and hugged him. "I really did it! That's amazing! I can't wait to show Master Tuluun. Now I can fill my bags up too." With that she was off, picking the herbs and then calmly smelling them out. They spent the next couple of hours searching through the forest and filling up Kalara's herb bag. Blackheart let her find all of the herbs, urging her to use her newfound abilities in conjunction with her sight to find herbs even quicker.

As she finally finished filling her herb bag, her stomach grumbled angrily and she found a suitable place to sit down for lunch. Blackheart joined her, and she pulled out two sandwiches she had made earlier from her backpack and handed one to him. They ate mostly in silence, just enjoying the nature that was around them. Food that didn't require utensils, definitely easier for Blackheart than trying to cut something with a knife.

Sniffing the air, Blackheart could smell rain coming. And fast. "We need to head back, it's going to rain soon." Picking up her things, Kalara joined him in heading back to Azure Watch. In training her nose they had gone much deeper into the forest than she had realized. In what seemed like only a few minutes the rain was upon them, opening up and dumping buckets of water on them. Kalara was soaked in mere seconds, while Blackheart was kept dry by the pendant she had given him earlier. "You didn't make one for yourself?" he asked her as he noticed the water dripping off of her.

"No I didn't think about it, but I really wish I had now. I'm freezing!" Blackheart looked down at the pendant hanging from his neck and over to Kalara who was trying to push her soaking wet hair out from in front of her face. Thinking it might work if she was in close proximity to it, much to her surprise he scooped her up and started carrying her back to the town. Just as he thought, the rain seemed to be hitting a little bubble that was around her. But she was still soaking wet and cold. "What are you doing you big elekk?"

"I'm keeping you dry. There's a cave nearby where we can go so you can warm up as well, it will take us at least three hours to return like this and you might get sick by then. We'll head back after it stops raining." Blackheart changed direction then and loped through the trees. The wind and Kalara's clothes made her shiver, and she nuzzled closer into Blackheart's chest. He was very warm and it felt good just to rest against him after the long trek through the woods.

It didn't take long for Blackheart to make his way to the cave that he used to stay in. It had only been a few days since he had been in it and the flower bed was still there. As he set her down she picked up on the aroma and noticed them. "I love these flowers! I always pick them when I can and keep them in my room. How did they get here, like this?"

"This… this is where I used to sleep sometimes. These flowers remind me of… something. I don't know what it is about them, but they make me at ease and make me feel comfortable. As far as I can recall it's my favorite scent."

When she was done examining the flowers she started shivering and rubbing her arms, trying to work some heat into them. "I'm freezing. That rain was much colder than it should have been. I need to get warm, but I don't have any thing for a fire, and all the wood will be wet."

"I think I have a solution for that," Blackheart said as he walked over to her. He sat down with his back against the wall and patted to the spot just in front of him. "If you're that cold then you won't mind a little immodesty. Sit down here and let my body heat keep you warm."

Kalara gave him an incredulous look and started to refuse but another bout of shivers racked her body. Blushing from embarrassment she did as he said and sat down, stiff backed and upright in front of him. He reached up and easily forced her to lay back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. The change in temperature was dramatic to say the least, and she was very warm and comfortable.

"So this is where you stayed at before I ran into you?" she asked, surveying the cave. "Indeed it is. A lot of the time I would sleep outside but if the weather ever turned bad I would come here to stay. This is where I kept my supplies as well."

"Supplies? What kind of supplies?"

"Well… any clothes that I have… procured that fit me. Any kind of food that I collected or herbs and such. Basically everything that I own is stored in this cave."

"But where? I don't see anything."

Blackheart lifted his arm and pointed across from them to a pile of rocks. "Under there. I have to keep it covered tightly so that the other creatures of the forest don't get into it. There isn't much in it right now though. I was wearing most of what I own when I met you and stayed in Azure Watch."

Kalara quietly mumbled, and when Blackheart looked down at her he noticed she was breathing very deeply with her eyes shut. She had fallen asleep. This was the second time that she had fallen asleep against him. The feeling he was getting from it though… that was unique. It was enjoyable. Blackheart pulled Kalara in a little tighter and stared out the mouth of the cave, waiting for the rain to subside.

In an hour the rain had passed and Blackheart gently shook Kalara awake. She mumbled groggy protests but finally stood up and stretched. Her clothes were still a little damp, but she was warm and the rain had stopped so she would be fine. Turning back to Blackheart she said quietly, "Thank you for… that." She quickly turned away from him and he though he caught a rosy tint to her cheeks. "We should probably head back, Master Tuluun will be wondering where we are."

Before they left the cave, Blackheart went to the small pile of rocks on the floor. Setting them aside he reached inside and withdrew the only keepsake he owned, aside from the necklace Kalara had give him. It was a small wolf's head medallion on a chain, with the wolf's head looking serenely out while set onto a many sided star. It was made of mithril and glinted in the light that the cave let in. . "That's beautiful." Kalara said in awe. "Where did you get it?"

"I... I don't remember. I've just always had it and I know it means something to me, or it did, and I know that I've always tried to keep it with me. I don't know if it's magical or not, but I do know where I can keep it now." He reached over and, to Kalara's surprise, fastened it around her neck. The chain it was on was also mithril, and it hung down to her chest. She lifted it and stared at the medallion in admiration of its fine craftsmanship, then turned to Blackheart. "I can't take this when it means something to you." She moved to unfasten but was stopped by Blackheart. "You're the only friend I have. If I can't find my way back to you then the medallion will be somewhere vastly better than in a cave, under some rocks." Blushing and smiling, Kalara closed her hand around the medallion and said quietly, "I'll keep it safe and with me always."

The two returned to Azure Watch in the next couple of hours. Master Tuluun greeted them when they came into his house. "I hope you didn't get caught out in that rain storm we had earlier. I assume that's why you are so late returning?" Kalara unloaded her herbs, and then took Blackhearts and started unloading and sorting all of them. "Yes master, Blackheart found a cave for us to wait out the storm in." Nodding, Tuluun said, "Mmm that's good, I'm glad you two didn't have to just sit out in the rain the whole time. I wouldn't want either of you to get sick."

"You both brought back a nice collection of herbs for me. I most likely will not have to pick any for a long while. These last few days have been interesting to say the least. Kalara... I believe you're ready." Kalara gave a little whoop and jumped into the air. Seeing Blackheart's confused look she tried to tell him in a rush what was going to happen. "I get to go out and get my next totem! I've gotten my earth totem, and now I'm finally enough of a shaman to get my fire totem!" She continued dancing around the small house; Blackheart smiled at her joy at this news.

"Because of the volatile nature of the elements, generally multiple shamans attempt to appease the elements and gain the ability to use specialized totems to call for greater help from the elements. Once a shaman is powerful enough they can summon and bind an actual elemental to help them. However, Kalara is the only shaman in the village that is training. As much as I would like to go with her, I have other duties to which must be attended. Blackheart… I have seen you in action and if it isn't too much of a bother, I would like you to accompany Kalara and help to protect her from any danger she might face."

Blackheart saluted then bowed, saying, "I would be honored to accompany and help Kalara in this quest." Kalara did another little whoop and jump at this news, saying, "Thank you so much! Oh this is going to be great! I'm so excited I can barely stand it!"

Tuluun turned to Kalara then, saying, "Since you are so bursting with energy you can finish sorting the herbs you two collected while I talk with Blackheart." Kalara skipped over to where the herbs were stored and started sorting them, placing them in neat piles and the correct containers. Tuluun took Blackheart aside and said, "Thank you for helping her… but I must warn you. I don't know what it is, but something is wrong with the elements. Something feels… off about them. That may not make sense to you but it is what I have felt during my meditation."

Nodding, Blackheart quietly said, "This morning as I watched the sun rise I caught a whiff of wind that smelled… angry almost. It was gone in a flash, making me wonder if I had even smelled anything at all." With a grim look, Tuluun said, "Just be careful and be wary of anything out of the ordinary. I'm sure most everything that Kalara does tomorrow will be out of the ordinary to you, but you know what I mean. You have keen instincts." Blackheart saluted once more and said, "I will do my best." Tuluun patted his arm then, a smile finally breaking his previously grim features. "I know you will."

After the talk, Blackheart helped Kalara finish sorting the herbs that they had found. He was having trouble following what Kalara said as she rapidly outlined all the steps necessary to achieve harmony with the elements. He did catch something about summoning a fire elemental and having to please it though. Tomorrow was going to be a most interesting day. His mind was starting to reel from all that had happened. In a few short days he had saved a life, been given a name and made a friend, fought and won a battle which gained him acceptance and respect, and had learned how to start controlling his rage… and now he was going to 'speak' with a fire elemental. All in all, he thought to himself with a smile, much better than another week of hiding in the forest.

The following morning when Blackheart watched the sun rise he was acutely aware of the wind and its smell. Just as the sun broke over the horizon, sure enough, there was a quick hint of what could only be taken as anger in the air. Why would the air be angry? Perhaps he would find out later this day.

When he returned to Tuluun's house, Kalara was already fully awake and ready to go, practically bouncing. She had two packs loaded with supplies that had been packed the night before for both of them. After the two had readied themselves and strapped on their supplies, there was a knock at the door. Tuluun shuffled over and opened it to reveal Vindicator Valina. "I'm glad I caught the two of you before you left. I have a surprise for Blackheart."


	7. Chapter 7 Duel

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 7

Duel

"A… surprise? What kind of surprise?" Blackheart asked. "Well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I just told you now would it? Now, follow me. Kalara you can come too." The Vindicator turned and walked away then, the stunned Blackheart starting when Kalara pushed against his back to get him out the door. Why would Valina have a surprise for him?

She led them towards the sound of a blacksmith's hammer ringing. Blackheart could smell the acrid smoke of a forge. He could smell all of the metals being smelted and the wood being used to heat the fires, and his ears caught a bellows working. When they rounded the corner to the blacksmith's shop, there were three soot covered draenei hard at work: one was working the bellows for a forge, one was hammering out a red hot piece of metal, and the other who appeared to be the instructor was looking over some work and making comments about it.

When he caught sight of the group, he raised his soot covered goggles and hailed them. "Ah Vindicator, the pieces you commissioned are finished! Tell me what you think of my young apprentice's work." He then set out the sword and shield that Blackheart had used, newly sharpened and repaired, as well as a large set of chainmail armor for the chest and legs,and the leather undergarments to stop the chains from pinching the skin. At Blackheart's confused look, the Vindicator said, "Well, don't just stare at them, try them on. Surely you've seen armor before."

Blackheart hesitantly walked over to the armor laid out before him. He picked up the leather jerkin and put it on. To his surprise it was a perfect fit. He buckled on the chain mail and did the same process with the leggings. It wasn't the most finely crafted work he could remember, but it fit well and seemed sturdy enough and it had the symbol of the Hand of Argus on it. The leather was thick and cured well and the steel chainmail would deflect most indirect attacks. While he was marveling at the armor, Valina said, "Excellent. I usually don't miss my mark when I'm sizing up someone. Now, Recruit Blackheart, kneel."

Blackheart did as he was told, kneeling before the Vindicator, placing a hand on his knee and one on the ground. "In light of your efforts to save Azure Watch and for your prowess in battle, I present you with your first basic set of armor and weaponry. I have a mission for you, should you choose to accept it. I know a certain draenei who is going on a shamanistic quest. I request that you accompany and protect her with your life and ensure the completion of her quest. Will you represent the Hand of Argus honorably in this endeavor?"

Bowing his head even lower, Blackheart said, "I accept, and will do all in my power to accomplish this mission."

"Excellent. You may rise."

Blackheart stood and looked down at his armor again, still amazed by it all. He owned armor… and a shield and a weapon. Much better than some rocks in a cave and a lonely medallion. He strapped on his shield and buckled the sword on as Valina said, "You two should be on your way. You bear the weight of the responsibility of the Hand of Argus now Blackheart. Remember that."

The two then set off a short while later, heading northeast to a place known as Emberglade. Turning to Blackheart to explain along the way, Kalara said, "We have to go there and speak with Temper, a fire elemental. I've got to do some kind of quest for him so he will grant me the powers of fire."

"So… the plan is to march up to a fire elemental and just speak with him?" Blackheart asked.

"Yep, this is gonna be great!"

Blackheart just smiled and shook his head. The shaman next to him was enthusiastic if anything. That was a good thing; he had a feeling that Kalara would do well if she was able to stay that way. As they paced on Blackheart could hear the clink of his armor as he moved. That would take some getting used to. He normally moved in complete silence, so this would be a new experience. Looking back over her shoulder, Kalara noticed Blackheart lagging behind. "What's the matter?"

"This armor is… loud. I feel like just by walking I'm shouting where I'm at." Blackheart replied. Kalara covered her mouth and giggled. At his confused look she laughed right out at him. "I haven't heard a thing." she said. "You're hearing is just too good, I doubt anyone else can hear you either. There's also not much room to hide where we are going. Emberglade doesn't have very many trees… at least that aren't on fire."

"On fire? So Emberglade is a literal name." Continuing on their way, Kalara responded, "Well, what did you expect? We're going to where a fire elemental lives. It's gonna be a bit toasty!"

Blackheart and Kalara took the road north, towards Stillpine Hold. Emberglade was Northeast of the Hold. After an hour of travel, the road started winding through a forest. Slowly the trees started to increase in number until they crowded the small dirt path. Tall, old conifer's dominated this forest, not the type of tree that Blackheart would be able to climb easily. Perhaps the chainmail was better than silence after all. Ten minutes into the forest though he smelled… something. Fur and leather, tension mixed with anxiety to be at the end of their task. Something was hunting… and he and Kalara were the only prey he had seen.

Kalara had noticed when Blackheart slowed and sniffed the air, his hackles raised. Knowing of Blackheart's keen senses, Kalara walked up to him and quietly asked, "What is it?" Turning to her while trying to locate their pursuers, he said, "We are being… hunted. Something with fur, and more than one of them, but I'm not sure what they are."

Looking around, Blackheart urged her to slowly proceed forward. "Be ready." he whispered. "They will show themselves soon." The two continued on their way; Kalara anxiously looking around while Blackheart fell into his senses and readied his sword and shield. They had only made it a few paces when Blackheart sensed movement behind him. He spun around in time to see, and slice in two, a net being hurled at him. It fell harmlessly to either side of him. Kalara let out a gasp at his quick motion, and tried to see what was attacking them.

Standing in front of him were a half dozen white furbolgs. They were dressed in scraps of leather and held spears at the ready, crouched and waiting for the worgen's next move. They spread out before him in a semi circle as Blackheart moved to stand between them and Kalara, making sure she was protected from any harm they could inflict.

One of the larger furbolgs, the one that smelled the most of anxiety, charged at Blackheart. The spear it wielded was easily turned aside by his sword and he slammed the furbolg with his shield, knocking him to the ground. Blackheart stepped in to make the kill, raising his claymore over his head to impale the downed creature. The furbolgs eyes widened in shock and fear as the large blade descended towards him

Mid stab Blackheart heard Kalara call out to stop the attack, but it was too late for him to halt the momentum of the large claymore. Instead he forced the blade over and it buried into the ground an inch beside the cowering furbolgs head. Kalara rushed forward then, speaking in some strange language he had never heard before… but it must have been Ursine because the other furbolgs lowered their weapons and spoke back to her. He looked back down to see the furbolg beneath him being hauled away and yelled at by the other creatures.

Kalara turned to Blackheart then. "Don't attack them, they didn't mean to come at you… or at least the rest of them didn't. They are the Stillpines and we're friendly with them. They actually thought that you had kidnapped me and were trying to save me from 'the wolf man'." Surveying the furbolgs, Blackheart slowly sheathed his weapons. As much as they appeared to be savages they were obviously an organized and intelligent bunch, and half decent hunters on top of that. They weren't quite as tall as he was, but were much wider, resembling bears.

"You can speak with them?" he asked Kalara. "Yes, when we first arrived on this island we… well we learned to talk with them. I'm not entirely sure how to tell you it happened. I just know that we learned to speak Ursine, and now all the draenei here at Azure Watch can speak their language." Shaking his head, Blackheart said, "Well, tell them that I apologize for any… damage I caused to the one that attacked."

The furry creatures erupted into excited chatter when Kalara told them what the worgen had said… all except the one that had attacked. He was looking at Blackheart with a combination of fear and anger. He would keep an eye on that one. Kalara turned and said, "Well they certainly liked that. They want to take us to Stillpine Hold to meet High Chief Stillpine and to inform the rest of the clan not to attack you. Apparently they think he'll be highly impressed that I have a wolf man as a guardian." She giggled after saying the last part.

Stillpine Hold proved to only be a half hour ahead on the road; the furbolgs had set an easy pace, constantly bantering to each other and to Kalara. It was a small village located at the mouth of a cave. There were crude straw huts set up, and Blackheart could smell the sweet and awful smells accompanying the village, from the cook fires on one side of the village and the small tannery racks on the other. The huts themselves were a haphazard array of sticks, leaves, and mud with no real thought to their placement, just wherever a furbolg decided to put one, which seemed to suit them just fine. He did notice one place that was cleared, an area around a totem pole with a large furbolg wearing more clothes and jewelry than the rest of them. That must be the High Chieftain, Blackheart thought.

One of their escorts ran ahead to the chieftain, while the others fanned out and started explaining why an eight foot tall armored worgen was walking into their village. Kalara laughed at Blackheart then; the furbolgs were coming to inspect him and were ooing and ahing at him. The furbolg that surrounded Blackheart were sizing him up and down and talking to each other; one of them grabbed hold of his arm to squeeze and feel the muscle, but let go at a growl from Blackheart. They definitely had strength packed into their large frames. He was about to push one away who was getting too curious about his sword when Kalara waded through and saved him.

"What is going on Kalara? Why am I being poked and prodded? Do they plan on cooking me tonight?" Kalara smiled as she took him by the hand and led him away. "No, they're not going to cook you! They're just amazed by you is all. They're close to nature and you're not something that most of them have ever seen before. Come on, we're going to meet their chieftain."

As they approached where the chieftain was standing, they noticed him engaged in an argument with the furbolg that had initially attacked him on the road. When they got close, Blackheart could smell the anger radiating off of the furbolg, and it intensified when he noted their approach. Blackheart's hackles rose after the look he got from the angry furbolg.

The chieftain stopped talking to the other furbolg and turned his attention to Blackheart and Kalara as the two arrived. He surprised Blackheart by speaking in Common. It wasn't perfect and was heavily accented, but it was easy enough to understand. "High Chieftain Stillpine, I am." he said. "Welcome to our home. I am in hopes that your stay is warm and comfortable. Who are you, and where are you going, I ask?"

Blackheart bowed to the chieftain saying, "Thank you for letting me into your home. My name is Blackheart. I hope I haven't caused too many problems or too much alarm for your people. I am traveling with Kalara here to assist her in her journey to become a shaman." The chieftain smiled at that, saying, "Shaman, there is no higher calling. Though… trouble you have brought a little bit with you. Grimclaw doesn't wish for you to be welcome in our home. He has invoked a weaponless challenge with you, and unless you wish to leave you must accept, I'm afraid."

Blackheart and Kalara both were taken aback by the challenge. Kalara tried to explain in Ursine that earlier was an accident and that Grimclaw had attacked first, but the chieftain merely explained that it was their custom and that the custom must be followed. Turning to Blackheart, Kalara said, "Come on; let's go. I can't believe that everyone has a problem with you, even after you've proven who you are. We don't need to stay here and can camp on the edge of Emberglade."

Blackheart caught her arm as she turned away; she gave him a confused look when he didn't let her leave. She noticed he wasn't looking at her though, he was staring down Grimclaw… and doing a right good job of it she thought. It made her want to cower just watching him stare intently at something else. "You don't have to do this, please let's just go." She tried to move him, but was not successful. "No Kalara… this is something I have to do. I will always have to fight for acceptance if I'm going to continue living like this, and I'm not going to back down now." He turned to the chieftain then. "What are the rules of this challenge?"

"The fighting will be with hands only, no weapons involved. Yielding first is the loser. Do you accept this challenge, Blackheart?" Following Blackhearts nod, the shaman said something in Ursine to Grimclaw and he let out a growl of excitement. "Blackheart, to the forest come with me." The chieftain then walked out of the town to the forest, followed by Grimclaw, Blackheart, Kalara, and a number of other furbolgs. There was no cheering; there was hardly any noise at all from the other furbolgs. This seemed to be something take very seriously.

A short way into the forest, the chieftain stopped at a small, circular clearing that had been made. Blackheart could see, as well as smell, the old blood stains that had been left here. Apparently this had been the site of many such duels. Upon seeing the blood, Kalara turned on Blackheart. "And you're sure that we can't just walk away from this and ignore them?"

Blackheart removed his sword, shield, and the rest of his equipment remaining in only his clothes. Blackheart took her shoulders in hands them, steadying her nervousness. He looked down into her eyes, saying "Yes. I will not run from this, now or ever. I knew that this would happen, having to fight for acceptance, wherever we go. Thanks to you, I'm ready to face it." He walked to the ring then; Kalara was left hugging her shoulders and went to stand beside the chieftain. Blackheart faced Grimclaw then. The ring was twenty paces across the center; it was a large place to fight. The chieftain walked in between the two and looked them both in the eye, then raised his hand over his head. He said something loud and guttural in ursine as it descended, and Blackheart took that as his cue to start.

Grimclaw let out a roar and charged at Blackheart, attempting to tackle him to the ground. Blackheart neatly sidestepped the charge and laid open a thin set of slices on the stumbling furbolg's back with his claws. It didn't seem to phase the creature, and it quickly turned and tried to tackle him to the ground again. This time when Blackheart tried to sidestep, Grimclaw was able to adjust and tackled the worgen to the ground. Blackheart's breath came out as 400 pounds of angry furbolg came down on him. Grimclaw was trying to claw and bite Blackheart, but with little success; Blackheart was too fast. Blackheart managed to coil his legs between the two and kicked out hard, hitting Grimclaw in the chest and sending him flying over backwards to splay out on the ground for a second. He was going to have to be careful from now on, Grimclaw was a tougher opponent than he looked.

Grimclaw stood up and looked angrier than before, if that was possible. This attack came slower than the last. The furbolg slowly paced in, claws at the ready and face in a snarl of rage showing a large set of fangs, and took measured swipes that Blackheart easily dodged. Grimclaw accelerated his swipes, making them come in faster and in a fury that was starting to catch up to Blackheart. He took a few nicks from the furbolgs sharp claws before retaliating. He avoided the next swipe from the furbolgs left, caught the one from his right and laid open a slash across his chest which sent the creature stumbling and down to the ground. Blackheart expected the furbolg to get up again. He didn't expect the handful of dirt and rocks thrown into his face.

With his opponent blind, Grimclaw took full advantage of the situation, slashing and biting at Blackheart with abandon, laying out bloody streaks and gashes. He bit down hard on Blackheart's left arm, almost breaking the bone before the worgen punched him in the face enough to make him relent. The best Blackheart could do was to flail wildly and try to fend off the furbolg until he could put some distance in between the two. Just as Blackheart was about to retreat, the attack stopped.

Blackheart twisted his head from side to side and vainly tried to clear the dirt from his eyes. He heard footsteps pounding the earth from his left, and jumped backwards to avoid getting tackled again. He was successful to the extent that he wasn't on the ground, but now had a line of deep claw marks across his chest. He hissed in pain and could hear Kalara gasping, then crying out in rage that she wasn't allowed to interfere. Blackheart needed to stop the fight soon; he was losing a lot of blood, and his left arm was in bad shape.

As he stood waiting for Grimclaw, the blood dripping from his chest, it went totally silent. Grimclaw was controlling his breathing and not making a sound when he walked. His opponent was going to go for the kill next. Remembering the lesson he had taught Kalara the previous day, he calmed himself and fell into his other senses, ignoring his sight completely.

He could hear the noises that the other furbolgs and Kalara made. He could smell the grass and trees, and the blood dripping from both him and his opponent. That was the key: blood. His opponent's blood came through to him strongly, and he could tell that the furbolg was roughly five paces away from him and was slowly trying to circle around behind him. Tapping into his predatory instincts Blackheart went stock still; he was waiting for his chance to attack.

Tracking Grimclaw with his nose, Blackheart could smell him moving in from his side. The smell slowly came closer, the sharp tang of blood and the scent of anger. It wasn't time yet. The furbolg crept even closer, the scents coming to almost envelop him. Blackheart was so attuned to his senses he could hear the fur brushing between the legs of the furbolg as he crept closer. Blackheart waited for what seemed like an eternity… and then it happened, a sharp increase in the smell of blood and adrenaline. The furbolg's heart had started pumping faster, adrenaline filling its veins to dish out one last lethal attack.

Blackheart processed all of this in a split second, as well as the multitude of sounds he heard. The swish of air from the enraged furbolg's swing at Blackheart's throat, the gasp of fear coming from Kalara, the grunt of force the furbolg released. He could hear the swish coming closer, almost as if time had slowed for him alone. It was close… coming closer… now it was mere inches from his throat. This was the time. Blackheart sprang into action.

Or rather, sunk into action, dropping down as low as he could crouch and gathering all of the spring he could muster into his legs and left arm. His right arm balled into a rock solid fist, and as the swing narrowly passed over him and clipped his ear, he could hear the surprise in the grunt from Grimclaw. Blackheart retaliated then, leaping and pushing up with all his might to deliver a massive uppercut to Grimclaw's jaw. He could feel his fist driving up, shattering bones and tearing muscle, then further up; they were off the ground then. The furbolg was carried up into the air on Blackheart's fist two feet off the ground before flying backwards to land in an unconscious heap.

Stunned silence engulfed them as Blackheart landed, crouching and listening to make sure that Grimclaw wouldn't get up again. He heard one of the bystanders pace into the ring over to where he assumed Grimclaw had landed and heard him say something in Ursine. The ring erupted in hoots and cheerful roars and Blackheart was hit by a small fleshy missile that smelled like Kalara. "You did it! You really beat that stupid bear in this stupid duel." He grunted in pain as she squeezed him in a hug. "Oh no!" she said and immediately backed off. "While we're on the topic of stupid, sit your stupid butt down and let me heal those stupid wounds." Blackheart gladly did as he was instructed, sitting down on the grassy turf.

He smelled and felt Kalara's healing magic wash over him. It felt like he was taking a very refreshing dip in a cool spring on a hot day... it was beginning to be a smell he enjoyed. The watery healing magic raced down his arm, knitting the muscle and skin back together and closing his wounds. Kalara was slower to fully cast her next spell; it smelled more like an old, wise spirit, gently removing the dust and debris from his eyes and clearing up his vision. When he opened his eyes he saw Kalara kneeling in front of him, a look of worried determination on her face. Her hands were held together in front of her, with the palms facing him, and blue energy was slowly coalescing there and washing over him. Even after his wounds were healed, she kept pouring the energy into it. She stopped when Blackheart's hand closed over hers. "Thank you for healing me, yet again. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise about not getting hurt."

Folding her arms under her breasts Kalara directed her now familiar death stare at him. "Well you better start trying to keep your promises with me, or you're gonna be on your own, living in a cave and wearing rags in no time!" Her stare melted down and she leaned forward and hugged the worgen then. "I'm just glad that you're ok. Now then, let's go get something to eat shall we?"

As the two stood up High Chieftain Stillpine walked over to them. "One mean punch have you Blackheart. Remind me to not duel you. Ever. I hope this learns Grimclaw a lesson." Blackheart looked over to the unconscious furbolg then. There was a furbolg shaman casting some kind of healing magic on him. "Will he be ok?" the worgen asked.

"He should be fine, I think. Perhaps only damage done will be to his pride. Now, join us for supper as guests?" the chief asked. "I could certainly eat after that, being healed makes you hungry. Though… I wonder how Grimclaw will be able to eat with what I did to his jaw." Blackheart said. "Worry not about Grimclaw, his mistakes he will have to live with."

Blackheart gathered up and re equipped his armor and weaponry then. With darkness gathering at the eastern edge of the sky, the large group headed back to Stillpine Hold, with two of the furbolgs carrying Grimclaw back with them. He was dumped unceremoniously into his hut upon their return, and Kalara and Blackheart were led to the chief's hut. It was larger, more ornate, and better constructed than the rest of the huts. When they entered, the chieftain ushered them onto grass mats on the floor to sit on. At his call, another furbolg brought them each a large bowl of stew. Blackheart could smell the venison and the other herbs in it, and it smelled delicious, eliciting a growl from his stomach. "Stillpine stew, the best stew on this island, it is."

He quickly emptied the bowl of stew, then another, and was finishing his third bowl as Kalara put down her first. Speaking in Ursine, Kalara said, "That was delicious! Thank you so much for your hospitality. Do you have a place we might be able to stay the night at? I don't really want to travel through the forest."

The chieftain motioned at a few pallets that were lying against one wall of the hut. "You may stay here if you wish." Another furbolg came into the hut then, saying something in Ursine to the chief. "I'm afraid that my attention is required elsewhere. I will return later." He left then, presumably to finish some chieftain duties.

Kalara helped Blackheart remove his armor and he set his equipment against one of the walls. "So what do you think of the furbolgs, Blackheart?" Kalara asked him. "Well… they are, with an exception, generous and welcoming of those that have earned their trust. I get the feeling though, that the trust was hard to come by. How exactly did you learn to speak their language?"

Kalara was quiet for a time before she spoke. "Miyara was the first one to discover the totems. She was a powerful shaman then, just after the Exodar crashed, and she was proving to be even more skilled then Master Tuluun himself. She found a furbolg totem in the forest and was able to commune with it. She somehow deciphered what the runes meant, and taught the rest of us to use the totem. Once we could access the totem, it magically imparted the ability to speak the Ursine language to us."

"That's pretty amazing. Who's Miyara, and where is she now?" Kalara was silent again. She looked like she was having some kind of internal struggle. Finally she spoke in a whisper. "She went to Outlands and helped end the Burning Legion, fighting the demons and Illidan. Next she traveled to Northrend to help bring about the end of the previous Lich King, fighting through thousands of scourge. Once again she returned home victorious. But then…" Kalara started to sniffle. "Then she had seen too much. The Twilight Hammer came and… and they took her! They took my sister away! I don't know how but they took her away and I haven't seen her since…" she was in tears at this point.

Blackheart felt the urge to go to her then, to comfort her and protect her. He crawled over and picked her up gently, setting her in his lap and he let her cry into his chest while he slowly rocked her back and forth. In a blubbering voice, Kalara said, "She was all that I had left! When the Exodar crashed, every one I knew, all of my family and friends, they all died! Except for her… except for Miyara. She was the strong one; the survivor. No matter what she was always there for me, provided for me and always came back to me. I thought she would be around forever but now she's gone. Except for Master Tuluun I've been so alone… and when I leave here I won't have anyone!" She turned into his chest and cried harder now, grabbing handfuls of fur and pulling herself closer to him.

As Blackheart continued to hold her and rock her back and forth, he looked own and shushed her, saying, "That's not quite true is it?" Kalara looked back up at him, tears still streaking down her face. "What do you mean that's not true?" Blackheart smiled down at her then, and wiped her tears away as best he could. "You've got me."


	8. Chapter 8 Emberglade

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 8

Emberglade

"You?" Kalara paused for a moment, then a smile broke through her tear streaked face. She leaned back into Blackheart's chest then, whispering, "You're right, I do have you. How could I forget the big hairy worgen that's always with me?" She leaned up and kissed his cheek then and buried her now burning face back into his chest. The move surprised Blackheart and let loose a torrent of feelings he wasn't familiar with. He felt… warm and fuzzy. He almost laughed at the irony.

He was still sorting through the emotions when he noticed that Kalara's breathing had steadied and her grip had loosened slightly. Moving as carefully as he could, he scooted himself back to the wall so as to not wake the sleeping draenei up. He leaned back against the wall and cradled Kalara to him. She looked very peaceful in her sleep, and he brushed the hair off her face before pressing his wet nose to her forehead and drifting off himself. His sleep was only interrupted by High Chieftain Stillpine when he returned later that night, but the furbolg merely went quietly to bed. Blackheart slept, and for once was visited by good dreams, those of the sunshine and a draenei.

He awoke at sunrise as usual; Kalara was still asleep on him. Blackheart slowly eased her onto a pallet and left to watch the sunrise as best he could. The effect was lessened in the middle of the forest, but it was still there nonetheless. He could sense all of the nocturnal creatures returning to their dens, and the denizens of the day emerging from their holes to start scavenging for food. He could smell the trees waking up, competing for the sun and trying to soak up as many rays as possible in the crowded canopy.

Kalara was still asleep when he returned. He gently shook her awake. She stood up and stretched with her arms going straight above her head and her tail straight out behind her. She blushed every time she looked Blackheart in the eyes, but otherwise prepared to leave as normal. The chieftain, who had gone out after Blackheart, returned then with more stew. "Eat breakfast, before you leave you must." The two readily agreed to partake more of the delicious stew, and then set off towards Emberglade with the chieftain's departing wish of luck.

"The burning forest is due east of here. We should get there in a couple of hours, if what Master Tuluun said was correct." The two walked on a trail that was overgrown with ferns, roots, and other small plant life. Kalara was constantly making a cacophony of noise. They definitely weren't going about this the stealthy way. He had to admit, she was right... no one would hear his chainmail, especially with her around. Blackheart resigned himself to teach her how to be silent someday.

After the couple of hours that Kalara had mentioned, Blackheart noticed signs that they must be close. The smell of smoke was becoming clearer as well as the air taking on an ashy haze. The one thing that didn't seem in place was the temperature. It was getting colder. Kalara slowed to a stop and looked around. Her perplexed look told him that she knew too. "So you've noticed that the temperature has dropped." She nodded and responded, "Something is definitely wrong. The trees should be on fire and it should definitely be hotter. We have to find out what's going on."

The further into Emberglade they went, the lower the temperature dropped. Soon the two could see their breath as they warily trudged through the burnt forest. Blackheart stopped to observe the ground and bent down to it, slowly inhaling the scents that were there. There were definitely humanoids here not too long ago. I can smell…" A perplexed look came across his face then. "What? What's the matter?" Kalara asked him. "I smell humans, orcs, dwarves, and blood elves all at the same time. Those generally are accompanied by the smell of shed blood, but the only blood I can smell is… I haven't encountered it before. At least not while a worgen. It seems familiar though. It seems as though those I can pick out were traveling together."

"Together? What of the Alliance and the Horde? Sure, they can work together sometimes, but I have never seen either the Argent Dawn or the Cenarion Circle take any interest out here before." As the two delved deeper into the forest they came to a small rise which they needed to climb to see over. Blackheart stopped Kalara then, saying, "I smell much more blood over the next rise. Be on your guard and be silent." They pair crept up the rise quietly, and the question of who was there was answered shortly.

The bloody scene made Kalara gasp and cover her mouth. A tauren was tied and staked through the heart to a tree. The insignia at the end of the stake covered in dried blood was that of a hammer on top of a sunburst. It was the insignia of the Twilight Hammer. Blackheart's senses tingled as the aura around Kalara changed from revulsion to that of utmost anger. In a menacing voice, she said, "The Twilight Hammer is here? They didn't get enough the first time we saw them apparently." She let out a quiet moan of anger then. "Argh. Let's show them what they're dealing with!" She got started running towards the place where Temper, the fire elemental they needed to see, should have been.

A few strides ahead though and she came to a dead stop as Blackheart cut in front of her and held her back by her shoulders. "Let me go! We have to go and finish off these Twilight Hammer bastards before they hurt anyone else. Come on, what are you doing?" She flailed ineffectively at Blackheart for a few seconds before calming down enough to listen to him. "Do you remember what I told you that I had smelled earlier?" the worgen calmly said. "Yeah, some humanoids are there, so what?"

"Yes, 'some humanoids'. We don't know how many. We do know that there are at the very least four. There could be more with them. I couldn't figure out how many there were, but if they were able to overpower and kill that tauren then they are most likely quite formidable. What would you do if you ran right into four of them? What if there are six, or even ten of them? What then? Can you react that quickly? Do you think you can march in and kill all of them? Could you kill one? Have you ever killed another sentient being before?"

The anger he had smelled slowly melted into shame. She tried to tell him what all she was going to do to them. How many different ways that she would make them pay, just how she was going to… what was she going to do? She would see them all and then… and then she would use… what could she do? She slowly slumped in his grip then, knowing if he hadn't stopped her she might have ended up like the tauren nearby, or worse. "I… I don't know, ok?" Her face dropped after the admission. Blackheart could understand her anger and rush to act all too well. He lifted her chin up with a finger and said, "What we need to do is to sneak up and see what's going on before we rush to act. That way we can even the odds if we do attack them." Kalara nodded and followed as Blackheart led her off the road and started making his way further into the forest.

Thirty minutes of careful sneaking later, the two topped a small ridge and saw the encampment. There weren't just four cultists there. Blackheart could count at least twenty. There was one other creature there: an unconscious tauren in a cage. To Kalara, what was more disturbing than the numbers was what most of them were doing. The cultists had three elementals magically bound to stones and were casting some sort of spell on them. She knew the fire elemental must have been Temper, and the other two, a wind and water elemental, must have been Susurrus and Aqueous. She was supposed to go appease them after Temper for their respective totem powers. She studied the elementals for a short while. They weren't moving an inch and Kalara finally understood what was going on. They were trying to bind the elementals to their will. And they were almost complete.

She turned to Blackheart who had been trying to come up with some plan of attack. "They are trying to enslave the elementals down there. If we can somehow set them free, then we should be able to use their help in order to kill or drive off the rest of the cultists." The worgen narrowed his eyes and slowly nodded. He had been watching the elementals as well, and had noticed that any one cultist could only focus on binding the elemental for a minute at a time, and then had to switch out with another one. That must mean if enough of them were to be interrupted then the elementals would probably break free. He took a quick survey of the area, noting all of his surroundings and trying to find something to use to his advantage. He located the answer to this problem in a few seconds and pointed it out to Kalara. "Ok… here's what we're going to do…"

Two hours later, the current overseer of this particular camp, a blood elf by the name of Calden was finishing up checking on the cultists who were binding the elementals. Soon, possibly within a couple of hours, they would be done binding these elementals who foolishly thought they could hold out against the coming armageddon. They would prove useful on this tiny island. The binders were at the base of a large hill in the forest with the rest of the camp spread out before him. He was headed to where the other tauren prisoner was. It was time for more interrogation. He was a few paces into the camp when one of the cultists who was channeling gasped. The blood elf turned to see a lone draenei just finishing her decent of the steep hill.

Calden looked around to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Sure enough, the other members of the camp were sharing the same perplexed look, and most likely sharing the same though: What was a lone draenei doing walking into their camp? Before any of them could voice this thought though, Kalara took an impetuous stance and forced her death glare on them. She had one hand on her hip and one behind her back. The look of her face, that of pure rage and anger that was being projected onto them was enough to make even Calden step back. In a low tight voice dripping with malice Kalara said, "Listen up! I've had about enough of you cultists on MY island! Stop what you are doing, pack up, and get out of here now, or I'm going to get really angry." The pure killing intent of her voice and eyes pushed everyone in the camp back another step. Soon though, they recovered their wits and saw what lay before them. A lone draenei ordering twenty Twilight's Hammer cultists to leave. What a joke.

Calden stepped forward then, raising his hand in preparation to summon the flames he would need to kill this insolent creature. "I think not, little draenei. It is you who will be leaving, though you'll be leaving Azeroth." He summoned a small ball of flame then and sent it hurtling towards Kalara. She didn't flinch as it approached, and Calden's jaw dropped as the fireball engulfed the shaman standing before him and then dissipated, seeming to only scorch the clothes she was wearing. "What was that?" one of the cultists whispered.

Angered by his lack of effect, Calden summoned a much greater sized fireball and sent the pyroblast flying in at Kalara. When it hit and detonated, the nearest channeling cultists were almost knocked off of their feet. When the smoke cleared there was a small crater in the ground, and in it lay the shaman, tendrils of smoke rising from her body. The blood elf scoffed and went to continue his check on the prisoner, until gasps turned him back around. The shaman slowly stood up again, holding tightly to her earth totem. Whisps of smoke came from the edges of her clothing, and some of it was burnt through to her skin, but she remained unharmed. As she dusted some of the soot from her person and her stoneskin faded, Kalara said, "I gave you a chance. Now it's my turn."

She raised her earth totem up in front of her with both hands and slammed it into the ground. Silence followed the impact until a few seconds later a rumbling was heard. A cry from one of the cultists brought Calden's eyes to the top of the hill where a landslide of boulders and tree trunks was headed towards their encampment. The blood elf watched in dismay as the tons of rock came crashing down and seemed to flow around the kneeling shaman while cleanly smashing into the ranks of cultists who were channeling their control spells. They had been trained to never stop channeling, even in the face of death. If he had cared about their lives, he might have been proud that they kept the spell up, even until a dwarf sized boulder or tree trunk crushed them to death.

One by one the elementals slowly broke free of the enchantment placed on them as their captors were slain and the binding stones were smashed to bits. It had been hard enough to subjugate them when they were taken by surprise, and they had lost nearly half of their members in trying. Now that the elementals were aware of their presence, and angry, it would not be possible. All hell broke loose in the camp then as the three elementals sought revenge on their captors laying waste to anything and everything in their path. Calden decided that if he were going to die this day he would take that damned shaman with him. He cast an invisibility spell on himself, effectively blotting out everything around him except the terrain and moved to where he knew Kalara was kneeling at. He unsheathed a small dagger from his belt and knelt behind the crater, waiting for the invisibility to fade.

When the rest of the world came back into view, he could hear the screams of the cultists as they were burned, frozen, or ripped apart by the angry elementals. Human, orc, and dwarf alike fled in terror of the elemental onslaught. Not one of them would escape. None of that mattered to him though. This lone draenei, kneeling still in front of him, was what mattered. He could hear her ragged breathing; she was completely exhausted and wouldn't be able to do a thing as he fit his dagger neatly into her spine. He slowly crept up to her within reach of her, reared back his dagger and thrust it towards her back.

He knew that once he killed her, that would be enough and he could accept his fate of death. After all, they were bringing about the end of Azeroth, and even he had no place in it. He expected to die after the dagger sunk into her flesh and stole the life from her. What he didn't expect was the bone crushing amount of pressure that was keeping his arm and the dagger a mere inch from the dranei's back. He also didn't expect to be struggling to breathe as an eight foot tall angry worgen held him off the ground by his neck. Looking into the worgen's glowing red eyes, he knew fear that he thought he had rid himself of.

"So Kalara, what should we do with our little back stabber?" Slowly standing up from her kneeling position, Kalara withdrew her earth totem and said, "It's about time you got here. Hmm perhaps we should let the Vindicator have him? I'm sure she would love the chance to... talk... with a Twilight's Hammer cultist. Until then though, I don't think he needs to be awake." As Blackheart reared his other fist back he said, "As you command." The last thing before stars that the blood elf saw was a black furred fist coming for his face.

After the two secured the unconscious blood elf, they turned to see Temper approaching them. The intense heat from the fire elemental made Blackheart want to step back, not to mention just standing in front of an elemental was intimidating. He stood his ground next to Kalara though, and waited for her to do the talking. Planning, hunting, protecting, killing, these were his specialties. Talking to fire elementals? Not so much.

In a voice that sounded like crackling flame, Temper said, "It is most fortuitous that you came when you did young shaman, or I fear that I and the other elementals would have been lost." The air was cooled as the two other elementals came to rest beside Temper. "These Twilight Hammer were trying to subjugate us, and bind us to the will of Cho'gall. You seem to be a resourceful creature, as well as the companion that you travel with."

Kalara bowed her head, saying, "Thank you Temper. I originally came to gain your approval so that I might ask for the aid of elemental fire to aid me. I'm glad that we made it in time to stop them." A fiery chuckle emanated from Temper then. "You have earned my approval." A voice that sounded like a loud whisper carried on the wind came from Susurrus, the air elemental next to him. "You have mine as well." A watery voice chimed in last that belonged to Aqueous, saying, "And mine. You have all of our thanks. Now if you'll follow us we will formalize our elemental contract with you. I believe that you've earned the right to have a contract with all of us."

The three elementals turned away then, and moved to a small area. Susurrus called forth a small tornado that cleared the tents, and the bodies, away from the area. Temper then blazed an arcane symbol on the ground. It consisted of four ovals that all went out in a different direction from a center point. Kalara was directed to the small circle that was created by the ovals meeting, while the three elementals went to their places at the edge of each oval, with one of them empty. Blackheart watched as the ritual began.

First Temper began to glow and burn more brightly, and the oval he stood in began to glow a fiery red, extending into the circle that Kalara was standing in. Blackheart's senses were hit with all the smells of fire, and it seemed that just being here he would be consumed by it, and yet he wasn't hurt at all. Next Aqueous followed suit, his oval turning blue. It seemed to Blackheart that along with the fire, all the water in the world was rushing at him, as if there was nothing else in Azeroth except water. Finally Susurrus started his portion, turning his oval white. Once again Blackheart's senses were hit, but this time it was as if the land didn't exist, as if the only thing in the world was air. As the wind elemental finished his part, the forth oval lit up, this one filled in with green for the earth elemental pact Kalara had already received. It was as if all the rock and earth, all the mountains in the world had come crashing down on him. His senses were starting to overload, as each distinct sense of fire, water, air, and earth tried to fight for supremacy. As he was at the breaking point, they all combined into a perfect harmony of the elements with such clarity and beauty that it made his knees buckle, forcing him to the ground. He could only watch now.

As the elements combined, Kalara was slowly lifted into the air. She had her eyes closed and could feel the massive amounts of elemental energy flowing around her, and into her. It seemed the most wonderful experience she had ever known. Then all at once it got better. The three elementals poured forth their energies as one, striking her chest and snapping her head back. She could feel the torrent of power flowing through her; it was rapture. It was like holding onto lightning, being covered in flames, being buried in the earth, being at the eye of a hurricane, and being washed away in a typhoon, all at the same time. She felt like she could do anything, could tear the world asunder and put it back again with just a thought. The feelings were constantly increasing, and when she reached the point where she thought she couldn't stand it anymore, the power was released. It exploded out of her towards the elementals, a torrent of raw elemental energy that could rend the earth, set the world on fire, drown it out, and blow it away. And in an instant it was gone, drawn into the three totems that were now in front of the elementals.

As she fell to her knees, her breath coming in labored gasps, she felt as if she could barely move, but the only emotion she felt was joy. Temper said to her then, "Take our power, and use it to better this planet. If you misuse our powers, we reserve the right to strip them from you. That is not a pleasant experience." Turning to Blackheart he said, "I have never seen a worgen helping a shaman before, but I have seen what you have done for us and done for her. I have also seen into the depths of your soul through this ritual. Care for Kalara well. There are very troubled times ahead, and she will need your help." In a rush of wind, fire, and water the elementals disappeared, and Blackheart's senses were released from their hold.

Once he regained his balance, he rushed over to see to Kalara. He helped her to her feet, but was speechless for a few seconds while he steadied her. "That was…" he started to say, and she finished with, "amazing." Still holding onto her, he asked, "Are you alright? You seem rather weak on your feet." Smiling she said, "I'm ok now, it was just a lot to take in and handle. Now though I should be just fine, I can already feel the strength returning to me. And I feel... different."

"Different? How?"

"More in tune with the elements. I think somehow my senses are sharper too."

"How so?"

"Well, I can feel the earth beneath us, and I can sense how far away water is... I can tell the quality of the air and I know that there's a campfire that's still burning here."

"That's pretty amazing. Now if I can just get you to walk quietly in the woods, you'll be all set." She gave Blackheart a mock punch, saying, "Oh hush you. It's not my fault, I have hooves you know." Smirking he said, "Deer have hooves too but are totally silent." He danced just out of range of her next swing, making her growl at him. "Come back here!" she yelled at him, slinging her hand out in frustration. Before she could stop it, a small torrent of icy power burst forth from Kalara's hand and struck Blackheart in the side, sending him flying into a tree and chilling him to the core. There was frost on the tree and the ground around where he landed, and he was so cold he could barely move. "Oh light!" she yelled and rushed over to the downed worgen. As Blackheart lay on the ground he said through chattering teeth, "Remind me to never run from you again." Kalara immediately set about trying to reverse the frost shock she had hit Blackheart with. She picked up a few pieces of nearby tent and very carefully called forth some flame to light it on fire, trying to get some heat for Blackheart, then she went to work with her healing spells. As she concentrated to coalesce the healing magic in her hands, she once again wasn't in full control of her power. The added power of the contract with the water element caused her healing magic to burst forth, cascading over Blackheart in such a rush he jolted upright. Instead of the peaceful stream in the woods he usually smelled, this was like a tidal wave coming at him.

Kalara cut the stream off immediately. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" As he worked out the last of the itchiness from the massive overhealing, he nodded. Blackheart could smell shame and disappointment emanating from her. "All this power that I wanted and now I can't even use it right." Blackheart rubbed her shoulder then, saying, "You'll get the hang of it, you just have to practice. Did you master your first spells instantly?" She shook her head no. "Well then how is this any different. I can only imagine the vast amount of power that you've been granted. It will take time to master, you will just have to practice." She smiled at him then. "Ya know, I'm glad you're here. You tend to save me alot, from other things and from myself."

He thought about what Temper had said. "Do you know what he meant when he said that there were very troubled times ahead?" Kalara sat quietly for a few moments before answering. "I'm not sure. But before now it has seemed like there's been something... wrong. A sense of foreboding in the earth, and now I can feel it in the other elements too, as if something catastrophic will happen soon." Blackheart nodded. "I too have felt something off. In the morning when the sunrises the wind has smelled... disturbed." Kalara nodded once before freezing and giving Blackheart an odd look. "The wind smelled disturbed? You can smell how the wind is feeling?"

Touching his nose with his finger and then hers once again he said, "Mine is better than yours. I can smell many things, besides herbs, that most humanoids cannot smell." Kalara crossed her arms and gave him a considering look. "Like what? How long it's been since someone has showered or what they ate? What do you mean?" Blackheart chuckled, saying, "No no, any humanoid with a sharp nose can catch those scents. I mean deeper things, such as emotions. Did you know that all humanoids and most animals put of certain scents for all of the emotions that they have?"

"You mean like fear and stuff? I'd heard that animals could smell fear, but I didn't know that it meant literally."

"Oh yes, fear, anger, shame, love, sadness. They all put off a particular scent. Magic as well, though it's harder to smell out." Kalara gave him a skeptical look then. "Magic? You're telling me that you can smell magic? What, like if I conjure up some lightning you could tell?" Blackheart nodded. "Oh yes, and to top it off, each person's magic smells distinct to them. Your healing magic and Master Tuluun's healing magic smell differently. His smells like he is drawing up water from the roots of a very old tree, while yours smells like I'm having my wounds washed away by a stream in a forest. It's quite relaxing actually." Kalara laughed and shook her head. "You're something else, you know that?" He smirked then. "Indeed I do. I'm a worgen." Their attention was gained by a moan coming from the cage on the other side of the cultist's destroyed camp. The tauren prisoner was regaining consciousness.


	9. Chapter 9 Taurahe

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 9

Taur-ahe

The tauren's low moans were coming from a cage twenty paces away. Blackheart and Kalara went immediately to investigate, and were appalled at the sight. A large female tauren was stuffed inside a cage that was entirely too small for her. The cage was a cruel thing, with many metal barbs lining the bars of it. Most of them were sunk into the tauren's flesh; the cage looked to have been made for a human. Blackheart could smell the copious amounts of blood that stained the cage and the ground. How the tauren had lived this long was beyond him.

Once Kalara recovered from her shock, she said, "We have to get her out of there!" She rushed forward to examine the lock. She took the fire totem out of her pack and put it down close enough to set the lock and chain on it. As she carefully summoned magic from her newfound powers, Blackheart could sense her drawing out the flames of the elements and pouring them into the lock. He could smell the acrid scent of the metal being melted away and falling to pieces. When the lock finally fell apart she opened the door and Blackheart took over. He leaned in and as gently as he could he extracted the tauren from the cage. Even with his care, some of the barbs damaged the tauren even more. She moaned in pain a little bit more, and mumbled something in Taur-ahe.

Once he had laid her out, Kalara went to work trying to heal her many wounds. Blackheart was checking over her vitals, and noticed that her eyes seemed glazed over, as if she wasn't fully conscious yet. The tauren had completely brown fur and hair with a white patch on her face that went around both eyes like a mask. He could smell Kalara's healing magic washing over the tauren, and saw the wounds knitting themselves together. "She has some kind of poison in her system that I'm cleansing out now." He could smell the toxicity as the poison was washed away. From its scent he figured it was a very heavy duty sedative. Blackheart was checking her vitals again and was listening to her breathing when she regained consciousness. Her eyes slowly opened and took in the scene for a few seconds before the realization of her situation hit her. There was a large worgen mere inches from her face.

With a surprised bellow she swung her arm with all her might, clubbing Blackheart in the side of the head and sending him sprawling to the side. To Blackheart it felt like getting smacked by a tree trunk. "Blackheart!" Kalara yelled and rushed to his side. Seeing the draenei, an enemy of the horde, she started to crawl away as fast as she could. That's when she noticed the rest of the camp. It had been razed to the ground and there were smoldering, frozen, and dismembered cultists strewn about. The elementals she had remembered seeing were gone as well. There did seem to be an abundance of boulders that she didn't remember the last time she was awake though.

She looked to the cage that she had been imprisoned in, standing open. She was free. But how? She thought she would die in the miserable cage, but now she was free. Which meant she had been let out… and the only two here were a draenei and a worgen. She glanced over to see Blackheart shaking off the blow and assuring Kalara that he was alright. What did they plan on doing with her? Why was a worgen dressed in armor? And why did she itch so much?

Blackheart and Kalara slowly approached the tauren then, trying not to show any signs of hostility. Blackheart realized she had used most of her remaining strength and stamina in trying to club him. The tauren slowly crawled backwards away from the two until she was stopped by a tree. There was nowhere left for her to run.

"Do you speak common?" Blackheart had never seen a tauren's jaw drop in astonishment before. She was completely flabbergasted. "You… can speak?" she asked. Blackheart slowly walked over to the tauren and sat down a few paces away. Kalara paced up and joined him, sitting on the ground in front of the tauren. "Indeed I can speak. I can also tell that you're scared out of your mind right now. You're at the mercy of a worgen and another Alliance member, and you don't know what's going to happen. Is that about right?"

The loud gulp that came from the tauren was answer enough, but in a shaky voice she said, "That about sums it up." She was visibly shaking now. Blackheart turned to Kalara and she nodded. "Well, you can stop worrying. We aren't here to hurt you. If we were, we would have left you in that cage. We also wouldn't have healed you." The tauren looked down, muttering something in Taur-ahe as she checked and saw that she had no wounds and wasn't in any pain. She was just extremely exhausted. Kalara chimed in then, saying, "Well, how about we start with names? I'm Kalara, and this ball of fur is Blackheart."

For a few moments the tauren was too stunned to speak. First, they weren't going to hurt her, then they let her go and healed her, and now they were being… friendly? These were the oddest Alliance she had ever met. "Miakoda… my name is Miakoda Farshot." She found herself saying. What's the worst that could happen? Her life was already in their hands, and they had spared it once.

"Ooo that's a pretty name." Kalara said. She had to admit it felt strange to be talking to a member of the horde, but not as terrible as everyone made it sound. "How did you end up in that cage in the first place?" she asked. Miakoda had a pained look at memories of being caught and stuffed into the tiny thing. "We were sent to the Twilight Hammer to try and infiltrate them and gain some information on them. I thought that we were doing alright… until we woke up those damned cages."

"By we, you me you and the other tauren?" Blackheart asked. Miakoda perked up then. "You found Kuruk? Where is he? Is he ok? I can't remember much after being locked in the cage." The look that passed between Blackheart and Kalara told her the answer. She slumped back down against the tree heavily. "That is… what I was afraid of. I couldn't remember what had happened to him."

Blackheart stood up then. "I'm not familiar with tauren burial practices, but I doubt you will want to leave him the way he is if he meant something to you. If you want I can take you to him." Before she had a chance to answer, yet another groan of someone welcoming consciousness was heard. Kalara and Blackheart looked over to where they had tied and gagged the blood elf a short while before. When Miakoda saw him, she let out an angry snort. Before she could do any of the many painful things she was envisioning to him, Blackheart walked over to the blood elf and unceremoniously drug him by his collar over to the cage that she had previously occupied. Blackheart checked the bindings on his hands and feet, as well as the gag in his mouth. The blood elves eyes widened as he was forced in and he let out more moans as some of the barbs pierced his skin. "That seems like a good place for you to stay out of trouble. Kalara joined Blackheart at the cage and, using her fire totem, she soldered the chain that kept it closed back together. She bent close to the edge of the cage and narrowed her eyes. "Now you be a good little cultist while we're gone. Just keep in mind that you don't need legs to be interrogated." The fear was evident in his eyes as she turned away from him.

Blackheart walked over to Miakoda and offered her his hand. "Let's go see to Kuruk." Still a little wary of the worgen, the tauren shakily got to her feet with the aid of the tree. She took a step forward… and realized she was heading back towards the ground again. She heard a grunt as a furry body intercepted her path and supported her 400 pounds. "So… maybe I do need some help." She put her arm across the worgen's shoulders and let him support her while they walked towards the dead tauren. She was slightly shorter than Blackheart, but his shoulders weren't too far out of reach to be comfortable.

As the group approached Kuruk's body, Blackheart stopped them. Turning his head to Miakoda he said, "I will warn you. It's not pretty." Tears started to form in the tauren's eyes, but she nodded and determinedly held her head up as they continued ahead. When Kuruk's body came into sight Miakoda gasped. Blackheart felt the weight he was carrying increase as the tauren's knees gave out momentarily. Regaining some of her strength, she walked to Kuruk with her own power and grasped the large weapon that impaled him and nailed him to the tree. She gave it a forceful tug but slipped from the blood on the handle and fell to the ground. As she stood up, more of her large tears poured out as she tried in vain to dislodge the weapon.

Blackheart looked to Kalara after the two witnessed the failed attempts. Without need for words, they both knew what had to be done. Miakoda closed her eyes and grasped the handle for one last pull, but snapped them open when she felt something on them. She looked down and saw Blackheart's hand coming from her left, as well as Kalara's hand coming from her right. They were grasping the dagger with her, and with one last pull the combined strength was enough to free the wicked weapon from the tree, letting Kuruk slide down into a heap on the ground.

Looking at the two Alliance, Miakoda quietly thanked them. Blackheart gave her a nod. "Is there anything we can help do?" he asked. "Normally we would set Kuruk in a sarcophagus above ground… but I don't have any of the materials that are required. I will need to build a funeral pyre."

Blakcheart and Kalara set to work gathering up wood for the pyre while Miakoda retrieved some of Kuruk's personal effects. She knew his parents would want something to remember their son by. She had only known Kuruk in passing, both of them being from Camp Narache. Kuruk Thunderhorn, as she had known him in life, had never wanted to be a warrior. She held up the small wooden eagle figurine he had been so careful to craft. She remembered that he had wanted to be a carpenter. She also remembered the angry words of his warrior father breaking the peace of the village when he told him of his dreams. Things that should not have been said were. Miakoda knew that Kuruk's father, Harutt, would forever regret telling his son how disappointed he was and ordering him to train as a warrior. The beautiful things that Kuruk crafted for everyone, like the small eagle she held in her hands, would be produced no more. What a sad waste she thought as she looked at the eagle, noting the beautiful detail put into every part of it. She put the eagle in a pouch at her belt and took the rest of his supplies: some herbs and travel rations, as well as the small knife he used to carve his creations.

After a half hour had passed Kalara and Blackheart had procured enough fresh wood to build the funeral pyre. After the pyre was constructed, Blackheart helped Miakoda move the tauren's body onto the pile of wood. When they stepped back, Kalara knelt before the pyre and carefully summoned forth a small burst of flame to start the ritual.

As they watched the pyre burn, Miakoda closed her eyes and started to sing in Taur-ahe. Though neither Kalara nor Blackheart understood her language, they both understood the tones and sadness behind a funeral dirge. The song was so mournful it tugged at the heartstrings of the worgen and draenei, making them feel the loss as if they had known Kuruk all along. Kalara leaned into Blackheart, resting her head against his arm while wrapping her arm around his. Blackheart could see the tears softly rolling down her blue cheeks, and he knew that she wasn't alone as the fur under his eyes began to dampen.

When the dirge and the pyre finished, they all turned and walked back towards the Twilight camp in silence. Kalara opened her mouth, meaning to say something for Miakoda, to try and comfort her. Blackheart sensed her intentions and quietly stopped her, slowly shaking his head. From the fog of Blackheart's past life he recalled the loss of comrades, and how helpless it could make you feel. Sadness, anger, and self doubt all rolled into one emotion. Sadness at the passing of a friend, a brother or sister in arms, knowing that you would never again share a meal or hear them laugh and would never again fight beside them. Anger at whoever had stolen their life away, the ever burning desire for payback, and knowing that even when you achieve your vengeance it helps nothing and the sadness is still there. Self doubt, the worst of the feelings and the hardest to cope with, feeling like if you had only been faster, smarter, stronger, or had trained harder that you could have prevented the death of your comrade. Blackheart knew all of these feelings, and knew that Miakoda was experiencing them now, perhaps for the first time. Offering sympathy and condolences, while polite, would only dredge up the feelings all over again. This was an emotion that had to be overcome by one's self… and it never got easier.

Quietly, Miakoda asked, "What are you going to do with the prisoner that you have? Will he be brought to justice? Or can I have him?" Eyeing the tauren, Blackheart said, "We will bring him to Azure Watch. The Twilight's Hammer is a threat that we cannot ignore. I will take him to Vindicator Valina, the draenei that leads the local group of the Hand of Argus. I'm sure she wouldn't be above… questioning the blood elf, as well as doling out a suitable sentence for what he has done and tried to do. If we can get any information out of him, it could be beneficial to us." Miakoda snorted, saying, "And here I was hoping to show him the weight of a tauren's hoof on his head. Very well."

When they reached the camp again, Miakoda walked straight for the blood elf prisoner who was still in the cruel cage. She easily hoisted the entire cage up so that the blood elf was looking directly into her eyes. "I know that you have no moral compass to even begin to grasp what you have done, but you will suffer. And you will die, knowing that what you tried to accomplish failed. I want to hurt you. I want to make you experience the pain of dying a thousand times over… but justice will be enough." She dropped the cage then, and as it slammed into the ground she heard the muffled groans of the blood elf as he was thrown against the barbed bars of the cage. Smiling evilly, she bent down and said, "Well… maybe a little pain wouldn't hurt anything."

"I believe we should collect our charge and go, unless there is something you need." Blackheart said. Miakoda was about to agree with him, but changed her mind. "There's something of mine I would like to find, if that's possible." She began rummaging through the remnants of the camp then, moving aside downed tents and looking through wreckage. Blackheart soon heard a triumphant "Yes!" and looked to see Miakoda pulling the largest bow he had ever seen from one of the piles of debris. Kalara gaped at the six foot tall ranged weapon, and asked, "What on Azeroth is that?" Miakoda smiled when she tested the string, making sure it was still good with a loud snap. "This," she said, "is my bow. It makes me very happy to have found it." Kalara, mouth still agape, responded with, "That's not a bow, that's a bloody ballistae!"

Blackheart could faintly smell the pride that wafted off of Miakoda. "We tauren are stronger than other races, so it makes sense that our bows and weapons are bigger." She rummaged further into the debris and found her quiver as well. Blackheart noted that the arrows in the quiver looked to weigh as much as some humanoid swords did. He would not want to be in the firing line of that weapon. As if to prove what he was thinking, Miakoda strung an arrow, pulled the bow back and fired at a nearby tree. In an explosion of charred wood, the burnt tree shattered as the arrow hit it, passed through it, and embedded itself in another tree some twenty yards behind it.

"What will you do now, Miakoda?" Kalara asked, staring at the still quivering arrow. The tauren slung her bow behind her back and thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I suppose I could try to sneak to the shore of this island… but I don't know where I would go from there. I don't have a boat and we got here by a portal that the Twilight mages created." Kalara thought for a moment, then said, "You could just come with us." The tauren looked at her as if she had two heads. "Come with you? So that I could be killed for trespassing on Alliance lands? No thank you." Kalara shook her head. "You would be with us, as in part of our group. That and you have some information on the Twilight Hammer, do you not? Plus, Horde sometimes come to talk to Tuluun, though they are Earthen Ring shaman. It shouldn't be too big of a stretch. And, if anything goes wrong neither I, nor Blackheart, will let anything happen to you." Miakoda narrowed her brows. "How are you so sure that this would work." Blackheart responded, "They are trusting a worgen… a tauren is not that big of a stretch." Miakoda merely shook her head in exasperation. "Very well, I just hope you are right."

With things settled, Blackheart and Kalara walked over to the blood elf prisoner. With a grunt, Blackheart lifted the cage off the ground and the group began the journey to Azure Watch. "Let me get that for you, Blackheart." Miakoda took the cage easily from him. Blackheart may have been taller, but where he was lean and quick the tauren was a mass of muscle. "Lead on then." She said.

Continuing through the woods instead of back towards Stillpine Hold, the group hoped to make it to Azure Watch before nightfall with a shortcut. While they were still in the forest, Miakoda had to ask something she still didn't fully understand. "Why is it that you freed me, helped me with Kuruk, and are going to vouch for me in your town? I have never known an Alliance to help out a horde like this, at least without some sort of common ground such as the Argent Dawn." Kalara looked to Blackheart then. She hadn't really thought about what they were doing, she had merely gone with her gut feeling and done what she thought was right. Blackheart answered for the two of them though. "Letting you out was easy. For one thing I have a… distinct dislike for cages. Another is that no creature, enemy or not, should be made to suffer that way for no reason. We helped you with Kuruk because it seemed right at the time. I know what it is to lose comrades, and sharing that loss with others always helps. Finally, an old saying keeps coming to mind here lately. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' I believe I can safely say that you are no fan of the Twilight's Hammer. Let's say that we have a common goal and enemy then." Nodding, Miakoda said, "I thank you, both of you, for everything."

The group continued on in relative silence over the next few hours. The silence was broken only once, by the blood elf vainly struggling and trying to shout through his gag. Blackheart was about to silence him when a small clod of dirt flew in front of his face and struck the blood elf in the forehead, rendering him unconscious. Miakoda started laughing so hard she had to set the cage down, and when Blackheart turned to Kalara she was whistling and trying to make as innocent a face as she could. At Blackheart's raised eyebrow she merely said, "What? I didn't see anything. Did you Miakoda?" Finding it hard to breathe from laughing, the tauren gasped out a "Nope!" before laughing again. Blackheart just shook his head, though he had a wide smile on his face.

The sun was just beginning to set when Azure Watch came into sight. "Well… this is it." Miakoda said. "Lead on, and do try not to get me killed would you?" Blackheart guessed that Kalara and Miakoda would get along well in the future. The worgen arranged them with Blackheart on the left, Miakoda with the large cage in the middle, and Kalara to the tauren's right. When they got close enough for the guards to recognize all the members of their procession, they looked to each other and slowly went out to meet them. With a wary eye on Miakoda, one of the guards addressed Blackheart. "What is the meaning of this? Why do you have a tauren with you and… why is she carrying a caged blood elf?"

"The blood elf is a captive of the Twilight's Hammer clan. The tauren is with us. She was being held prisoner when we found the cultist's camp. Until she returns to her own land, she is under our… supervision. I must speak with Vindicator Valina at once, if you would be so kind as to guide us to her." Blackheart responded to their questions. They didn't seem completely satisfied by his answer and spoke to Kalara in Draenei for a short while. "Follow us." One of the guards said finally. "Just make sure that your charge doesn't cause any trouble." Saluting, Blackheart said, "Thank you. She will behave herself."

The pair of draenei guards led the small group into one of the guard houses at the edge of town. There were more than a few questioning looks from the nearby draenei at the sight of a tauren walking freely in their midst… but after accepting a worgen into their ranks they figured anything could happen. The group was deposited in one of the rooms of the guard house with one of the guards. The other guard said, "I'll go get the Vindicator" as he left. A few seconds after the guard had left, the door burst open. Blackheart was surprised… and disappointed to see Fergus stomp into the room.

"What is the meaning of this?" He demanded, the volume of his voice many decibels higher than was required in the small room. Looking at the group and finally resting his eyes on Blackheart, he yelled, "You! This is all your doing isn't it?" Blackheart's eyes narrowed as he answered as calmly as he could. "I suppose it is. The blood elf is a Twilight cultist and the tauren can provide information about them. She was trying to spy on them when she got caught."

"This farce has gone on long enough" the draenei shouted. "First, I'm forced to accept this wild dog into my village just because he saved Kalara, then I have to let him fight beside us. Both the Vindicator and the Exarch must be off their rockers for letting that wild animal here." Blackheart started to grind his teeth then, trying to think of something pleasant to ignore the draenei. "Then you bring a tauren, a horde.,A HORDE!, into my town! What could either of you possibly be thinking, letting someone who would gladly slit our throats given the chance in here? Not just one, but two of the damned creatures." The worgen felt that Fergus was starting to push his luck with that one. Miakoda merely snorted angrily, but kept quiet. "This is your entire fault" he yelled, directing his attack at Kalara. "You and your getting caught by blood elves. If not for you, none of this would have happened. We wouldn't have a wild animal and two horde running loose in our village." Kalara started to speak; started to argue with the draenei but Fergus cut her off. "You… you're just like that useless sister of yours! Let me guess, you're going to run off and join a cult and kill all of us just like she wanted to? It's too bad all of you didn't go in the crash. Your worthless family and that old fool Tuluun too!" His words hit Kalara like a blow to the stomach. She had no words with which to retort; had no defense against his onslaught. Blackheart was stunned that Fergus would say something of the sort, and when he looked over to Kalara he saw tears rapidly forming. When he saw the moisture start to slide down her cheeks, the temper he had been keeping in check snapped.


	10. Chapter 10 Crashing

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 10

Crashing

In a flash Blackheart leapt across the room, his temper flaring. He grabbed a handful of Fergus' clothes, hoisted him off the floor, and slammed him into the wall. "You impudent little prick" the worgen growled angrily, his eyes starting to glow angry red. "You want to insult me? Fine. You want to call me a dog and a wild animal, even after I helped save 'YOUR' town? That's fine. You don't like me for any other reason than I exist. Fine. But insulting Kalara like that?" Blackheart let go with one of his hands, balled it into a fist and slammed it into the wall just next to Fergus' head. "That is not fine! You will NEVER insult her again. Do you understand me?" Blackheart's red eyes were fully lit now and he could feel the haze starting to take hold of him. Fergus could see nothing but death when he looked into the enraged worgen's eyes, could hear the growls coming from deep within his chest and see the sharp, snarling teeth that were inches from his face… and he quaked in fear. When he didn't answer, Blackheart shook him and slammed him into the wall again, splintering some of the paneling. More fiercely he growled, "Do you understand me!" Fergus still couldn't speak, as such was the amount of terror in him, but he did manage to nod. Leaning close to him, Blackheart growled quietly into his ear, "And if you ever… EVER say anything like that to her again, I will become the wild beast which you so fear. There will not be anywhere you can run or hide that will be far enough from me. I will find you, and I will end you." The red haze of anger he felt was slowly slipping from his control. The delicious smell of fear was almost overwhelming his senses; he knew that Fergus was scared out of his mind. It was getting harder and harder to think clearly when a large, three fingered hand steadily gripped his shoulder. He heard Miakoda softly say, "That's enough Blackheart. That's enough." Blackheart seized the opportunity to force himself to calm down. Slowly the red haze dissipated and he dropped Fergus, who landed in a heap on the floor. "Get. Out." He muttered, and Fergus was more than happy to oblige, scrambling as fast as he could towards the door.

As he reached the door, Vindicator Valina opened it and quick reflexes saved her from being trampled by the retreating draenei. She quickly surveyed the room. Blackheart was still snarling and had wildly glowing red eyes, his hackles were raised on end and the wall was damaged right next to him. And there was a tauren standing behind him, seeming to try and calm him down. Combined with the terror stricken state that Fergus was in and she thought she knew what had happened: Fergus had pushed the wrong button. If she had to guess, that button was Kalara. Deciding to take the straightforward path to figuring out what happened, she marched up to Blackheart and stood unwavering under his gaze. "What the hell just happened here? Why was Fergus scared out of his mind, why is my guard house damaged and why is there a tauren standing there? SPIT IT OUT RECRUIT!"

She stood impatiently awaiting Blackheart's answer while he worked to calm himself. When his hackles were dropped and his eyes reverted to their normal icy blue, he looked the Vindicator straight in the eyes before saying, "He said some very… inappropriate things to Kalara and I lost my temper."

"What do you mean inappropriate things?" she asked. "What did he say that would make you assault him?" With a look at Kalara, who was still trying to recover from the verbal assault, he quietly repeated all that Fergus had said. She looked long and hard at Blackheart then. After a few moments of silent deliberation she said, "Well…" she started, then sighed. Blackheart fully expected to be reprimanded for the incident. "First off you are an idiot! You may have put the fear of the light into him now, but he'll just use it against you later. He's a slimy bastard but you have just caused yourself a whole world of trouble. I don't like him any more than you do, and yes, what he said was completely out of line. But if you hurt someone you will be subject to the law just like everyone else is. I already told you that if you can't keep your temper in check then I would deal with you, didn't I? And you!" She turned to face the lone draenei guard that stood in the room. "You just let this happen?" The guard nervously replied, "Well… he deserved it." "Argh!" The Vindicator said in frustration. "I'm surrounded by vicious idiots. You can NOT assault someone for something they said. You may have been living in the woods for a long time, but here in the civilized world you can't go around beating people up or scaring the hell out of them just because they are saying mean things."

She walked up to Blackheart and poked him hard in the chest. "If you touch Fergus again without some sort of physical provocation, you're out, do you understand?" Blackheart saluted sharply, saying, "Yes ma'am." Crossing her arms she let the worgen enjoy a few more seconds of her angry glare before saying, "Well are you going to tell me why there's a tauren standing around in my guard house or are you going to wait for Greathfather Winter to come. Let's have a full mission report. Now."

It took a half hour for Blackheart to explain in detail what all had happened on their trip. From the duel with the furbolg to freeing the elements and then helping Mirakoda to put the other Tauren to rest, he tried to leave nothing out… except perhaps how Kalara had slept on him while at Stillpine Hold. Once he finished, the Vindicator sat in thought for a few moments. "Now that I've heard your side of things," she turned to the tauren, "Mirakoda right? Tell me what you learned of the Twilight's Hammer while you were with them."

The tauren was speechless for a few seconds. The draenei in front of her was acting like her superior demanding a report. The Vindicator ushered her to speak. "Well out with it now, it's already night time. I don't wanna be here till dawn, so speak up." What do you know, Blackheart had been right, she thought. "Well, to start with I was in Orgrimmar when a bunch of doomsayers started spreading the word that the world was coming to an end. One or two wouldn't be out of the ordinary in such a large city, but there were hundreds of them. You almost couldn't go anywhere in the city without hearing their prophecies of doom. It was getting so out of hand that a guard… conscripted me and another tauren from my village to try and infiltrate them. And infiltrate them we did. We joined up with them and soon found out that it was actually the Twilight's Hammer. They were planning something big involving the elements, something about using them to bring about the end of Azeroth. We were trying to get back to our superior and report on this when the group we were with was chosen to come here. Some of the mages in the group opened up portals leading to the burned forest on this island, and they spread out and subdued three elementals that were living here. We were found out though. I'm not sure how, but they discovered that I and Kuruk were not actually wanting to destroy Azeroth… but it got him killed and me stuffed into this cage. That was the last that I remember before waking up to find the camp destroyed and these two coming to my rescue."

The Vindicator was processing all of it, but came to a snag near the end. "Wait a second… they put you in that cage?" she asked, pointing to the cage the blood elf was in. "You don't fit." The tauren snorted angrily at the blood elf before saying, "I'm well aware." Valina was taken aback. "Well now, I have yet another reason to have a chat with our little heartless bastard here." The blood elf tried to stare defiantly at her, but failed miserably. It was hard to be defiant when you were bound and gagged inside a cage. "What you're saying is in line with what I've been hearing from Stormwind and Ironforge. There are the same doomsayers all over the place. Definitely not a good sign."

"What do you propose for sleeping arrangements for Miakoda?" the Vindicator asked Kalara and Blackheart. Kalara responded with, "I thought I would ask Master Tuluun if she could stay there. We're already housing a worgen, I don't see that letting Miakoda sleep there would be too much to ask." The Vindicator smirked at her then. "If you think so, then go to it. I will say this though, Miakoda. While you are here, you are not to go anywhere without an escort, and I will be posting a guard outside of Master Tuluun's house for as long as you stay there. I do not believe you would attack us, and I trust in these two's judgment, however I do not take unnecessary risks." Miakoda nodded, saying, "I completely understand. Thank you for your kindness."

The Vindicator then opened the cage that held the blood elf prisoner. "Alright, out with you and into a cell." She hauled him upright and led him further into the guard house towards a set of cells. "He's some sort of mage." Blackheart said. "Oh, a fancy magic user are we? Then we have a special accommodation for you." She took him to a cell that was slightly different from all the rest. Blackheart could smell… nothing. A distinct lack of smell came from the cage, as if everything in the cage was being sapped away. "This little cage has an anti magic field around it. No casting for you. You can just stay here until I have a chat with you in the morning." She shoved the blood elf into the cell then and swung the door shut.

When the group reached Tuluun's house, the Vindicator said, "I'll leave a guard here, and there will be one here throughout the night. If you need help, though I doubt you will, just yell and he will come in. I will take my leave of all of you. Good night." Once Valina had left, Kalara led the way into the house, opening the way for delicious cooking smells to come out. Tuluun was just finishing preparing a meal when the old broken turned to welcome them back and stopped, staring in awe at the big tauren standing behind Blackheart. The old broken's mouth worked a couple of times before he was able to ask, "Kalara, would you care to explain why there is a tauren in my house?" Kalara pointed to the arm chair close to her and said, "You better sit down, it's a long story."

For the second time that day the previous excursion was retold, this time by Kalara. She didn't, however, tell of the altercation with Fergus. She would prefer to forget what he had said. While Kalara told the story, Blackheart passed out portions of food to everyone. When she finished, Tuluun sat deep in thought for some time. Recalling what the elementals had said about dark times coming, he said, "This is most troubling. If the elements themselves are worried about the future we should be doubly worried. I also have to say that I am very proud of the way you two handled things. It sounds to me that when you learn to control your newfound power you will be a better shaman than I am." Kalara smiled at her master's praise. "And as for you Miakoda… I'm sorry for the loss of your comrade. I assume that you will need to stay here until better arrangements can be made?" The tauren nodded. "If it isn't too much trouble, then yes, I would prefer to stay near to these two."

"I'm afraid I don't have any place for you sleep aside from the floor. Blackheart sleeps lying on a pallet there, so just find a place and lay down." Bowing her head graciously, Miakoda said, "I'm sure anything will be comfortable after being in that cage." Nodding to her, he said, "Well now that it's settled, I believe this old being is going to head to bed. Kalara can you please get some spare blankets for Miakoda, and Blackheart I would like to speak with you for a minute." Kalara followed the instructions, finding the largest blanket she could for the tauren while Blackheart followed Tuluun into the broken's bedroom.

Easing himself down onto the bed, Tuluun looked to Blackheart and said in a tired voice, "Kalara left out the part about Fergus. I saw him running from the guard house like the Burning Legion was after him. Would you care to let me know what happened?" Tuluun's usual pleasant, grandfatherly face turned sour as Blackheart laid out what had happened. "I see" the broken said in a voice that was as close to angry as Blackheart had ever heard him. "I cannot approve of what you did… but I feel that Fergus definitely deserved it. To think that he could say such hurtful things… how distasteful. You will have to be careful from now on around him. I doubt he will let that go any time soon." Blackheart sighed then. "I know Master, and I apologize if it causes you any difficulty. When he said what he did about Kalara… well I just lost it. There is no excuse."

Tuluun chuckled then, and Blackheart look to the old broken, confused as to what was funny. "Perhaps there was no excuse, but there is a reason. Neither you nor Kalara probably realize what is happening between you two yet, but in just this short time I can see it." Blackheart was even more confused now. "See what?" Tuluun looked up at the worgen then saying merely, "It is something you will have to discover for yourself. There is one more thing I need to tell you about. I sent for a druid after I learned of your memory loss because of your transformation. I understand that sometimes druids lose themselves to their animal forms and must be brought back. I sent for a night elf druid that I know, and he should be here tomorrow morning sometime. Watch for him, he might be able to help you."

Bowing graciously, Blackheart said, "Thank you very much Master Tuluun. You have been more than kind to me and I appreciate your help." Tuluun dimmed the lights in the room as he prepared for sleep. "Think nothing of it, Blackheart. But now it's time for this old soul to rest." Saying goodnight, Blackheart left Tuluun's room to head back out to where he and Miakoda would be sleeping. When he entered the room he caught the tail end of a conversation. He heard Miakoda say, "You should have stuck with Fluffy for a name." The tauren was then laughing at the thought. She tried to stifle her laughter when she noticed Blackheart, but ended up snorting which sent her and Kalara into a giggling fit. "I see you two are getting along famously," Blackheart said as he sat down next to Kalara. "Did Kalara tell you how she challenged Vindicator Valina to a drinking match and got so trashed I had to carry her home and force her to drink a potion that tasted like… what did you say? It tasted like licking an elekk pen I believe." Kalara slapped his arm then, saying, "Hush you!" and Miakoda just laughed.

Standing and stretching, Blackheart said, "I believe it's time that we get some rest, there's no telling what tomorrow will bring." Kalara went to her room and Miakoda laid down on some blankets that Kalara had brought for her. Blackheart curled up on his usual pallet. After the day's events all of them found sleep easy to come by.

Upon returning from his usual inspection of the dawn, Blackheart was about to open the door to Tuluun's house when he heard a deep voice from inside that he did not recognize. When he opened the door he saw Tuluun talking to a night elf. The conversation stopped dead when the night elf noticed Blackheart. Even though the night elf knew what he was going to find there, he was still astonished to see a sane worgen walking towards him. He pulled himself together and greeted the worgen. "My name is Relarus Moonshade. I understand from Master Tuluun that you cannot recall much before you were turned."

Bowing in greeting, Blackheart replied, "That is correct. I can only recall some vague shapes and smells, though other knowledge comes to me at times. I think I must have been in some sort of army… I constantly know how to tactically analyze a situation, but I don't know how I know… what I know." The night elf cupped his chin with his hand and nodded. "I see, I think that I might be able to help with that. Please sit down and I'll explain what I'm going to try." Blackheart did as he was instructed, sitting at the small table. Kalara and Miakoda were up and about by then, coming to watch what was going on as Relarus sat down opposite of Blackheart.

"Sometimes we druids stay shape shifted for too long and start to lose a grasp on our non animal personalities. When that happens we perform a ritual that takes them, in their mind, back to the place where it happened and we can undo the damage. That is what I'm going to try for you. Please set your hands out on the table." Blackheart did as he was instructed, placing his hands outstretched in front of him on the table. Relarus placed his hands on top of the worgen's and said, "I will start now." He began to softly chant in Darnassian.

Blackheart felt nothing at first, but a few seconds into the chant he felt extremely sleepy and his vision soon dimmed until only a pinprick of light remained. For what seemed like hours, that was all that he was aware of, this pinprick of light. Eventually the light started to expand so that he could see what was around him. He was in a dark forest, and with his sight memory came rushing back to him. The small unit that he was part of, one of the infantry brigades from Theramore that had been sent to aid the night elves with the battle in Warsong Gulch, but their squad had been pulled and sent to assist in a worgen problem at the aptly named Howling Vale. They had arrived with a small force of humans and night elves to drive out the worgen… and they had been subsequently massacred. The number of worgen that were at the vale greatly outnumbered how many were supposed to be there, and now he was running for his life.

He knew that he didn't stand a chance of getting away; he was wounded in several places and leaving a trail of blood that the worgen could easily follow. The only thing keeping him on his feet was the pure adrenaline pumping through his veins and the fear of death. He saw a break in the tree line a few hundred yards ahead. He was almost there, almost out of the forest and free of the death trap that it had been. If he could just hold out a little longer, just keep on his feet he could… meet face to face with a snarling worgen. He didn't have his sword and shield anymore. He had left the sword buried in a dead worgen and had discarded his shield because his arm had been broken. He knew that this was the end; he knew that he was going to meet whatever awaited him in the afterlife.

The worgen slowly stalked up to him, in no rush and seeming to enjoy the smell of fear that must have been coming off of him. As the worgen came closer he the faces of those that he would never see again flashed before his eyes: his mother, Angie, with her long black hair and aging but kind face telling him to eat more oatmeal, his little brother Wayne who looked just like their father and his little sister Jonie who resembled their mother, pestering him for piggy back rides and to tell them of his adventures, and the face he hadn't seen in years, that of his father Derrick who had never came back from the war he fought. As the worgen leapt for his throat, his father's last words came to him. His icy blue eyes seemed to be very sad as he said, "Kaleth, I'm gonna be gone for a little while. Make sure to take care of your mom and your siblings, you understand? You're the man of the house now until I get back." Sorry dad, Kaleth thought, I guess I failed. The worgen's fangs close around Kaleth's neck and then… he was awake, flat on his back, staring into the worried face of Kalara. "What happened?" he asked.

He looked above his overturned chair and saw that Relarus was being helped to his feet by Tuluun. The night elf looked dazed, and his chair, as well as the table, were overturned. Kalara quickly asked, "Are you ok? A few minutes after he started the ritual there was some kind of force that knocked you two apart. You toppled over backwards and Relarus was thrown against the wall. What did you see?" Looking into Kalara's eyes he thought about it and realized… he had a name. "Kaleth," he said. "Kaleth?" she asked, confused. "My name was Kaleth."

Once he and Relarus had recovered, Blackheart had told them all what had happened and all that he had learned: some about who he was, what his family had looked like and their names, as well as how he had been turned. "Why were we both knocked down, Relarus?" Blackheart asked the druid. Relarus had been sitting in quiet contemplation after his recovery, and was at himself at a loss for a good answer. "I am unsure. When we do this, we watch from an outside… almost ethereal perspective on your memories. As soon as the worgen attacked you it was as if the space I usually occupy was suddenly hostile and it forcefully ejected me. I think if there were more druids to help, we could recover your memory in its entirety.

"Where are there more druids at?" the worgen asked. "I would suggest Darnassus, which would solve another problem. From Darnassus it would be easy to get Miakoda to Moonglade and then from there to her home." Nodding, Miakoda added her agreement. "That would work wonderfully." Blackheart was somewhat torn for what to do. He wanted to go to Darnassus. The chance at recovering his memories was too good to pass up. But going to Darnassus meant leaving Azure Watch, which also meant leaving... He looked to Kalara then, and she spoke up, answering his problem. "Well then let's hit up Darnassus for some druid help!" she said, putting his fears at ease. Almost as an afterthought she added, "If that's ok by you Master Tuluun."

Nodding, he said, "I believe it is time for you to get out and explore the world on your own. I don't know if there is anything that is left that I can teach you." Kalara gave a little whoop of joy and hugged Master Tuluun before hurrying to her room to start packing. Relarus stood and gathered his things. "If we leave soon, the boat I arrived here on should still be docked and accepting passengers to Auberdine." Tuluun thanked Relarus for coming and then walked over to where Blackheart was packing what few things he had. The old broken watched the worgen for a short while before whispering so that only he could hear, "I know that I don't have to tell you, but protect Kalara please. I want you both to come back in once piece. It should be an easy trip to the capital… but things are not as they should be with the elements. I have a feeling your journey will get somewhat complicated." The worgen clasped the broken's hand then, and said, "On my life, I will keep her safe, and we will return."

Just as the group left Tuluun's house, Vindicator Valina met them on the road out of Azure Watch. "And where are you off to?" she asked. "We're going to Darnassus to see if some of the druids there can help me regain some of my memory." Valina thought for a moment, then handed him a sealed envelope. "That is the information that was able to… extract from our prisoner this morning. I was meaning to send you, with it, to the Exodar but if you're going to Darnassus you can take it there instead and I'll draft another for Exodar and send it later." Blackheart put the letter in his pack while Miakoda asked, "And what of the prisoner?" Valina's face took on a look of utmost displeasure. "He must have had some kind of ward against telling us information. He was reluctant to leave his cell after we got what we did out of him, and as soon as he came out of the anti magic zone his head… well let's just say that he's a little bit shorter now." Miakoda had a grim smile on her face. "A fitting end to him, I think." The Vindicator walked them to the edge of town. "Try not to beat anyone else up while you're away, eh Blackheart? Represent us well." Blackheart saluted, and then they headed for the docks at the edge of the island.

Partway to the dock, Kalara asked Blackheart, "So Blackheart… err Kaleth. I guess we should call you by your real name now huh?" Blackheart shook his head no. "I'm not Kaleth any longer. I still don't even know what goes with that name. I've somehow been given a second chance at life, so I'll just stick with the name you gave me. I'm Blackheart from now on." Kalara smiled at that, and then asked, "So have you ever been to Darnassus?" The worgen cocked an eyebrow up and look over to her, "I can't remember, remember?" Lightly smacking her own forehead, Kalara said, "Ohhh yeah. Sorry."

When the group arrived at the dock they were relieved to see that the boat had not departed yet. All of the work on the decks stopped however when the crew noticed Relarus' company: a draenei, a worgen, and a tauren. The druid hailed the crew in Darnassian and were welcomed aboard. The captain, a slender female nightelf by the name of Solia Nightcrest welcomed them to her ship. "Well Relarus, you certainly bring an… interesting assortment of creatures with you. I knew you were going to see about a worgen… I didn't know you would be bringing it back with you.

Relarus explained to the group that it was roughly a three hour sail to Auberdine, and from there they could take hippogryphs to Darnassus. Blackheart remembered his trip from Auberdine over to here, and his recollection of being on the water wasn't pleasant. He had been a worgen and was being hunted down by night elves. Sneaking to the dock under the cover of a heavy storm he had stolen a small boat, gotten caught in the storm, and ended up washed ashore on Azuremyst Isle. Not a pleasant first boat ride. Looking at his companions, Kalara was having a great time, enjoying the surf and standing at the prow of the ship watching the waves. Miakoda on the other hand was being attended to by Relarus; she was an unnatural shade of green and was spending a lot of time at the edge of the small boat.

Three hours later, Auberdine was just coming into sight. "There it is. We should be there in a just a few minutes." Blackheart heard the captain say, when Kalara let out a cry. Blackheart looked over to see her sink to her knees clutching her head. He rushed over to her and knelt down, looking for some kind of wound. He didn't smell blood or anything else. "Kalara what's wrong, what happened?" She let out another moan of agony, drawing the attention of the crewmates. "Argh, the elements. They are all wrong! They're screaming out in pain and it's hurting me." All at once the sky darkened, as if a storm had suddenly rushed upon them. "Oh no… oh no!" the draenei yelled. "What is it?" Blackheart asked, trying to find some way to comfort her. "He's coming…" she whispered before letting out an agonized scream and collapsing unconscious. Blackheart scooped her up in his arms and was going to carry her to Relarus to see if he could help her when he heard a sound he would forever remember.

The sheer volume and malice of the roar chilled him to the bone. He remembered the fear that he had felt at facing the worgen… and this put that to shame. This was unlike anything he had heard, and every instinct in his body was screaming that death was coming. His instincts weren't far off. One of the sailors cried and pointed across the starboard side of the boat, and what he saw took the strength out of his limbs. A giant, black dragon was soaring towards Auberdine. It was the largest creature that he had ever seen, larger even than most buildings he had seen. A wall of flame was following closely behind it. It let loose another roar and Blackheart felt that this beast would actually be able to scare someone to death.

They all watched helplessly as Deathwing descended upon Auberdine, breathing a jet of fire that engulfed part of the town. Then they saw the wall of flame hit the town, ripping the docks out of the water and engulfing the rest of the town in flames. "Elune protect us." He heard one of the night elves say, but when he looked to her, she wasn't looking at the town. He turned to look the other way, the way the dragon had come from, and saw a massive tidal wave coming for them. There was no way to escape it, the wave went as far as the eye could see in both directions, and was coming straight for them. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" he heard Mirakoda yell.

"Everyone, lash yourself down to the boat now!" Captain Solia yelled above the roar of the approaching wave. Blackheart ran, carrying Kalara with him, to one of the lashing points on the boat. He took a length of rope and tied Kalara to him. When he reached for the lash to tie himself to the boat they were struck by the wave. He was pushed down to the deck as the boat quickly gained altitude, riding the wave towards the shore. The boat was continuing to turn as it was lifted, and soon he slid towards the edge of the boat and was able to gain a firm hand on a rope while he hugged Kalara's unconscious form to his own body.

He had relived his first death once today, and now he was watching his next one unfold. The boat was turned to where the deck was almost vertical. The scene before him was amazing and horrific all at once. He could see that he was over 100 paces in the air. He watched as other boats were swept up with them, and then watched as the tidal wave hit Auberdine and swept over it, dousing the flames but tearing the buildings from the ground. He knew it had to end soon though, and as he looked up he saw the rapidly approaching forest. As the trees neared and the wave carrying them started to lose its force, the boat continued towards the trees. Looking down at Kalara he said a small prayer to whatever deity might be listening and, before the boat hit the trees, he leapt, curling himself as much as he could around the small draenei in his arms. He saw the trees approaching quickly, and soon there was only blackness.


	11. Chapter 11 Spirits

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 11

Spirits

As consciousness filtered back to Kalara, she tried to fight it. She didn't want to wake up from her dream, a most peculiar one involving flying boats. She just wasn't ready to let that one go yet. That and she was warm and comfortable. When she finally relented and opened her eyes, she thought she must still be dreaming. She was lying atop of Blackheart, wrapped in his arms and he was still asleep. Yet another dream that she definitely didn't want to let go. The longer she lay there though, the more unpleasant the dream got. Blackheart's breathing wasn't very steady and there was some kind of uncomfortable pressure around her waist. When she smelled blood though, her eyes snapped open and full consciousness came rushing back to her.

The draenei tried to move but found the pressure at her waist only increased. She noted that she was actually tied to Blackheart with a rope. She reached down and, very carefully, called upon her fire powers to use a small jet of flame to cut the rope. Once she was free of her bindings, she took stock of her surroundings. There were pieces of splintered wood lying around her, as well as a few felled trees. One thing in particular stuck out as odd: the mast of a ship. How did a ship's mast end up this far into a forest she wondered? And why was Blackheart's sword and shield laying so far away? She decided she would wake Blackheart to get some answers, but when her eyes fell upon him her heart skipped a beat.

The worgen lay in a dark pool of blood. The one arm, his right, that had held her was the only part of his body that didn't look like damaged. She gasped, and gagged, at the site of the rest of his body. His other arm was broken in many places. The bone from his forearm protruded out of the skin. His shoulder had bone ripping out of it too. The side of his face had a gnarly slash across it, and he was missing the tip of his left ear. A stream of blood was running from his mouth and she noticed a red stain on the leather jerkin under his chain mail. It looked as though upon landing a rib had been broken and pushed up through his chest, possibly puncturing a lung. Looking at his lower body, it seemed as if the impact had dislocated and broken his leg. Her heart was restarted when Blackheart coughed violently, spraying blood on the ground next to his head.

Kalara rushed forward to him. She was trying to speak… trying to find something to say to him when he looked up at her and smiled. His eyes were half glazed over when he weakly said, "You're safe. Good…" another coughing fit took him then, wracking his body with spasms that worsened his already garish wounds. When he finally stopped, he looked forlornly in her direction, a single tear rolling down his cheek. "I'm sorry" he said in barely a whisper, and then the light left his icy blue eyes.

"No," the draenei muttered, denying what was happening in front of her. This can't be happening, not now, she thought. "No!" she yelled at Blackheart's fast expiring body. She slammed her fist down onto his chest, tears streaming freely from her glowing eyes. She had to do something; she couldn't let him go like this. Frantically she searched the area and spotted what she sought: her totems. She rushed over to them and dropped them around the dying worgen, then called forth all of the healing magic in her power. She didn't care what kind of shape she was in. She didn't care what happened to her at all if she overused the magic, she just needed to save him. A torrent of power rushed from her hands, infusing Blackheart with healing energy. She saw the cuts mend themselves. She saw the bones heal and realign… and she saw his last breath escape him as it was too late to heal his mortal wounds.

"NO!" she cried out. There must be something else she could do. She thought of the elements then. Summoning a picture in her mind of the four elementals she had made pacts with, she cried out to them for help, desperate to do something, anything for the worgen who had given his life to save hers. It was as if time stopped for her then.

In her mind's eye she saw the elementals talking… about her. She was floating in her own consciousness and watched as they discussed… something. Why couldn't she hear what they were saying? She tried to move, tried to scream out at them but couldn't do anything but watch. She caught snippets of their voices, but could only make out a few words like, 'It is time' and 'is she ready?' The elementals finally seemed to come to a consensus, and turned to face her. They moved to surround her when Temper spoke. "We have decided that you are ready to learn the ways of returning the spirit to the body." She wanted to shout out to them, thank them, beg them to tell her right now, but she still couldn't move or speak.

"What we are going to show you is not only dangerous, but should only be used in dire need. The gift of life is a precious one, but all things must come to an end. In some cases, however, the end is not meant for those that meet it, and thus you may return a being to life. This poses a great danger to you, as well as the life you are trying to save. In order to save Blackheart, you will have to leave your body behind and venture into the spirit realm; the realm of the dead. You must find Blackheart and convince him to return to the realm of the living. If you are unsuccessful, your soul, as well as Blackheart's, could be lost forever. We will impart this knowledge upon you, but do not use it lightly."

As if she was in a dream she opened her eyes and was immediately back to reality, kneeling in front of Blackheart's healed, but dead, body. A faint whisper echoed in her mind then. "Only if you are certain that you would risk your soul should you try to bring them back." She nodded her head then. Blackheart was the reason she was alive, and had saved her more than once. She would risk anything to save him.

Starting the ritual with the knowledge imparted upon her by the elementals, she oriented her four totems and kneeled down beside the worgen. She didn't know what she was doing; she only knew that it felt right for what she needed to do. She carefully drew specific portions of magic from each of the elements, and when they were at just the right levels she released them all. With an explosion of shamanistic magic, her world shifted. There was no sound any longer except a faint whooshing, and all of the color had been washed away from the world, leaving everything in drab shades of gray. Lying on the ground in front of her was a solid black outline of Blackheart's body… as well as one of her own kneeling next to him. She was standing outside of her body. This must be the spirit realm, she thought. She could feel something… menacing, and it was just out of sight. It was as if thousands of eyes were watching her, and if she turned fast enough it felt like she could see what it was, but turning all around she saw nothing. The feeling gave her goosebumps all over. Next to Blackheart's corpse was a set of footprints leading away from the body, glowing a bright white against the dull gray of the spirit world. She quickly set off following the prints; she had to find him.

When Blackheart had apologized to Kalara, he knew that he meant for leaving her alone. Waking up in the spirit world a short time later had been disorienting at best, and terribly depressing at worst. His time was up though, and it was time to meet whatever was waiting for him. He had looked around him, noticing the place seemed to be empty and colorless, but something… familiar drew him in one particular direction. After what seemed like hours of walking towards the familiarity, he stopped in his tracks at what he saw. "Hello son." He heard a familiar voice call. "You're a bit early, don't you think?"

Kalara didn't know how long she had been following the foot prints. It seemed like it could have been any amount of time at all; it could have been an hour, or just a few seconds. The feeling that something was watching her never left. She was a spirit whose body was still alive; she didn't belong here. The grayness of the area made it hard to see, and the constant feeling of being watched and the sole whooshing sound set her nerves on edge. Still following the trail intently, she almost missed a sound. Stopping to listen it sounded like something was… slobbering. She looked wildly around, fearful of what it might be but still couldn't see anything.

She broke into a quick trot then, wanting to find the end of the trail of foot prints as fast as possible. Looking over her shoulder she gasped at what she saw. Slithering along the ground chasing her was some kind of twisted being. It vaguely reminded her of the volatile mutations that had appeared right after the Exodar had crashed. Only this one was trying to consumer her soul. She sprinted a short distance ahead and decided to stop, or at least slow the creature down. She turned and cupped her hands together, deciding to call down lightning to strike this creature and give her some time and felt… nothing. She felt none of the elements at all here. She felt totally defenseless. She tried every school of magic she knew, and nothing, no flames, lightning, ice, earth, or water would come to her call. When she looked back to the creature… it was no longer one, but two, then three, then even more. They seemed to materialize from behind trees or under rocks, some just coming up from the ground itself. Countless slobbering twisted monsters were slithering across the ground, all coming to feast on her soul. She dropped all thoughts of stopping the creatures and ran for her life.

She couldn't see anything ahead of her, only the glowing trail of footsteps leading her on. She desperately wished that Blackheart was there to save her. She chanced a quick glance over her shoulder and tried to push herself faster; there were an endless die of the soul monsters chasing her. Kalara was so intent on the thing chasing her she failed to notice the being in front of her until she smacked off of its back and fell to the ground. "Kalara?" she heard, and looked up to see a human with a concerned look on his face.

She was stunned for a few seconds before remembering the beasts chasing her, but when she turned around they were gone. "Kalara what are you doing here?" the human asked. There was something very… familiar about him. She was too stunned to speak. How did this human know her name? "You aren't dead Kalara, how are you here? And why are you here?" A hand appeared at the human's shoulder then, accompanied by a voice coming from behind him. "Kaleth, I told you that you were too early. She's here to take you back."

Kalara's eyes widened at the name given to the human spirit standing before her. The footprints she had been following led right up to him. He was seven feet tall and had black hair that hung down to his shoulders, looked to be very strong, had two large scars on his neck and… had icy blue eyes that she would know anywhere. "Blackheart?" she quietly asked as he reached down to help her up.

Once over her initial shock, she let him help her to his feet. She could feel his essence just being next to him which told her for sure that it was Blackheart standing before her, not to mention the foot prints stopping at his feet. It was really him.

Blackheart turned back to his father. "Take me back? Back where?"

Derrick laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "I told you that you were too early. I meant that you were too early to die. You have great things to accomplish still. She's here to bring you back to the world of the living." Blackheart's eyes widened at the realization. He turned back to Kalara, amazed at what she had done.

With the feeling of being watched returning to her, Kalara said, "We need to go." She tugged on his hand, slowly pulling him back towards where their bodies were. "One thing though, Kalara."

The draenei turned around to face Blackheart's father. The resemblance was striking except for the blonde hair. "Take care of my son for me would you? I don't want to see him here for a long, long time." As he finished saying those words he faded from sight. Kalara looked up at Blackheart. He was still staring at the spot his father had been standing in. With another tug, he finally turned away and they started to head back to their bodies.

Blackheart noticed that Kalara seemed to be in a hurry to get back; she was on edge. "What is it?" he asked her.

She was constantly looking from side to side, and didn't look to him as she spoke. "Don't you feel like something's watching you? Didn't you see any of the monsters that are all over the place? They were chasing me until I ran into you."

Blackheart gave her a confused look. "Monsters? Watching? No, I don't feel anything here and I know I haven't seen anything but you and my father. Perhaps it's because I am actually dead that I can't…" When he trailed off Kalara looked at Blackheart and saw that we was staring at something to his left. When she followed his gaze, she saw the thing that had been chasing her earlier. It didn't take a second tug on his hand to get him to pick up the pace. "Run!" she yelled as they took off, retracing their steps.

Kalara was giving it all she had but Blackheart was easily keeping up with her. She chanced a look over her shoulder and saw what she knew was coming: legions of the soul monsters. Except that now it wasn't only her soul in danger, they would come after Blackhearts as well… and they were slowly closing the gap between them. Blackheart noticed the creatures too and took Kalara's hand and drug her on. But the creatures were still gaining on them.

"There!" she heard Blackheart call, and when she looked ahead she could see the solid black outlines of their bodies. When she looked back, the monsters were almost within reach of Blackheart. "Hurry!" she called out. Kalara watched in horror as the monsters slowly gained on them. Kalara didn't have time to warn Blackheart of a tendril that snaked out and wrapped around his leg, eliciting an anguished cry from him causing him to tumble to the ground. Kalara skidded to a halt, then ran to Blackheart, trying to pull him free of the things grasp. After repeatedly kicking the thing in the face, it let go of Blackheart and Kalara tugged him to his feet and they ran to their bodies. Within a few paces of them, she heard him cry out again and when she looked back, she was horrified. There were tendrils from multiple monsters around his legs, arms, and chest. The places around where the tendrils were leashed seemed to be… fading away. "Go!" she heard him yell through grunts of pain. She ran to him, ignoring his command and tried to pry the tendrils away. The second she touched one, she involuntarily jerked back from the pain. It was unlike anything she had ever felt, as if all of the pain receptors in her hands were firing at full effect. Just the short second she had hold of the tentacles made her knees weak, and it made her wonder how Blackheart was still standing with five of the things wrapped around him.

She reached for the tendrils again, gritting her teeth in the expected pain but was suddenly thrown back. She looked in surprise up at Blackheart, now being pulled down to his hands and knees by more tendrils, who had just used a sudden burst of strength to throw her to her body. He was sacrificing himself, again, for her. Her cry of denial was cut off abruptly when she hit her body and her world went black.

When she opened her eyes, she dropped from her knees onto her backside, exhausted from her excursion to the spirit world. Blackheart's body lay motionless before her, an empty shell with no soul still. "No no no no…" she said over and over again as she forced her exhausted body to crawl the few paces to his. She reached for him and shook him, listened for his heartbeat or breathing… he was still dead. She fell forward onto his chest and began to weep in earnest. She had not only lost him in life, but had lost his soul as well. She started to wish she hadn't made it back to the living.

She was still crying when Blackheart's body lurched forward suddenly, throwing her off, and he gasped for air, clutching at his heart. He barely had time to register that he was alive once more when a draenei missile hit him in the chest and he felt Kalara's arms tighten around his neck, hugging him tightly. He could smell the relief coming off of her in waves, and he heard her quietly sob out, "I thought I had lost you." He answered her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly to him.

Once she had overcome her tears, she fixed a tear stained death stare on him and grabbed both sides of his head with her hands. "Don't you ever die on me again, do you hear me?" Blackheart nodded and was surprised when she pulled his head down to her and kissed his forehead. "I can't lose you." He heard her whisper. He nuzzled her face and neck with his nose in return. "I can't lose you either." He said. The two sat in silence for some time, just bathing in the pure joy of being alive. Kalara broke the silence first, asking, "What happened to us anyway?"

Blackheart told her of Deathwing appearing, as well as the boat being on the edge of the tidal wave and jumping to try and save her. "I guess I know why there's a mast over there now." Kalara said, pointing to where the mast of their boat lay mangled in some trees. Nodding, Blackheart tried to stand, but toppled over and was caught by Kalara. "Hey furball, you just came back from the dead, take it easy will you?" she fussed at him.

He nodded and with her helping to support his three hundred pounds they hobbled towards his equipment. "We need to look for the others." He said. Blackheart almost staggered from picking his sword and shield up, but with Kalara's help he managed to put them on. The worgen closed his eyes then, and breathed deep the air of the forest. He could smell the salt water from the ocean all around him, and smelled the wood and brine from the pieces of the boat. After a few seconds he caught a scent he was searching for: blood. "This way," he said, and the two slowly made their way in the direction his senses indicated.

After a few minutes slow travel they came upon the first fatality of the crash. One of the night elf sailors from the boat lay smashed against a rock, a bloody streak showing her impact and the subsequent slide of her body to the ground; she had died instantly. As he went to move away, Kalara pulled him back. "Shouldn't we… I dunno bury her or something?" she asked.

It pained Blackheart to have to leave the corpse as it was. "There are others that might be alive and will need our help. We can come back for the dead later." Kalara could hear the sadness in his voice. "Right now, we must care for the living."

They continued into the forest, finding more dead as they went. The first survivor they found was one of the sailors from the ship. She was in pretty bad shape; she had gone through the trees on the way down and had several lacerations, as well as a broken leg. She seemed to barely recognize them, muttering indistinctly in Darnassian. Kalara was severely drained from venturing into the spirit realm, so she triaged as best as she could while Blackheart set the night elf's leg in a splint to help with the break. Luckily the night elf's water skin wasn't damaged, and Blackheart left Kalara with her to refill it from a stream he heard nearby. Blackheart returned carrying not only the water skin, but Captain Solia as well. She was unconscious, and had a nasty cut on her head, but didn't appear to have any broken bones.

Once they treated the captain's wounds, Blackheart's ears perked up as he heard a slow, repeating 'thump, thump, thump' in the distance. "What is it?" Kalara asked.

Blackheart shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I'm going to go find out." He started to leave when Kalara grabbed his hand and stopped him.

"Not alone you're not." Kalara's tone left no room for argument. Blackheart knew she was loud in the forest. He also knew he didn't want her angry. They slowly made their way through the forest towards the thumping noise, zeroing in on its location as it got steadily louder. When they reached the origin of it, Kalara covered her mouth and tried not to snicker. Standing under a tree was a very dirty, very angry Miakoda who was looking up at her bow which was stuck in the branches far out of reach. She was angrily muttering to herself while kicking the base of the tree. It violently swayed each time her hoof connected, but the bow never moved any closer to becoming dislodged. "First I have to ride a stinking boat. I hate boats. Then a dragon comes, and ruins the trip. I hate dragons. Then the boat starts flying. I hate flying. And now, my bow is stuck up in a tree. I. HATE. TREES." The last three words were accentuated with particularly violent kicks, the final which resulted in a faint crackling sound, followed by loud pops and a crash as the tree fell over from the force of her blow. The tauren walked over to the fallen tree, picked up her bow, and when it gave a satisfying twang when she drew it back, she slung it over her shoulder. Blackheart and Kalara came out to greet her then. She pointed an accusing finger at Blackheart, saying, "I am never riding with you on a boat again, furball. Do you hear me?"

When they returned to the two night elves they had found, Captain Solia was up and about. "I'm glad to see that some of us survived." She said. Instantly assuming a command position, she said, "We need to find all of the survivors and gather them up into some sort of camp. You three appear to be in the best shape, so go find some survivors while Jiyana and I set up some sort of camp." She pointed a little ways off in the woods towards a large portion of her once fine ship. "We'll be over there looking for supplies, and we can use the wreckage as shelter. Let's go."

The three spent the next few hours searching throughout the woods for members of the crew. It seemed they found more dead than alive, and in total only twelve of the thirty crew had been found to survive. Some were missing and couldn't be found anywhere. Captain Solia hadn't been idle while Blackheart's group had been searching either. They had scavenged medical and food supplies from the wrecked boat and were treating the more injured of the crew as best as they could. Kalara was called for when a standard patch job wasn't going to cut it. She had just finished healing the last survivor they had found that night when exhaustion hit her. She had spent entirely too much energy that day, and would have toppled over when she finished her last healing if Blackheart hadn't caught her. He picked her up then, ignoring her weak protests, and carried her to where the food was, forcing her to rest, eat, and replenish her strength.

Only once they had done a headcount did they realize the other party member that was missing: Relarus. The captain, still in command it seemed, had half of those that were readily able to move search for him while Blackheart, Kalara, and Miakoda rested. The captain had organized three groups of two survivors each containing the least injured ones to hunt for Relarus. Two of the groups had been having no luck, and were resting for a short time at the camp when one of the searching night elves, a young female named Sinara, limped into camp. Blackheart's hackles rose when he noticed she was injured. The night elf had fresh blood on her, some of it was her own, and some of it had an amazingly foul smell to it. She was also alone. Captain Solia rushed over to her, demanding a report.

In a weak voice, Sinara said, "We found Relarus… the satyr have him. Jalina was captured as well." Blackheart heard some of the night elves around him curse in Darnassian. He didn't know the language, but the feeling put into one of those words was pretty universal. At least they knew where Relarus was, however dealing with satyr was never something to look forward to, especially in the party's current state. They had a history of being vile, cunning, and evil creatures. Though the entire camp was exhausted, Blackheart knew they would have to move, and fast, if they hoped to rescue their comrades alive.


	12. Chapter 12 Demons

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 12

Demons

Blackheart, Kalara, and Miakoda were exhausted. So too was the rest of the camp. From Deathwing's attack to the long hours spent searching for survivors they were all worn to the bone. But with Relarus captured, there was no time to rest. Blackheart's body groaned in protest as he stood and strapped on his equipment, then helped Kalara to her feet. Miakoda joined the two as they walked towards the captain and the sailor-turned-scout who was finishing with her report of the satyr's camp.

The scout, Sinara, was resting on a log while another sailor patched her wounds up and Captain Solia received the last of her report. She was partially covered in blood, some of it her own, and some of it the demon's. The more rogue like satyrs had left many cuts on her with their wicked daggers, and there was a patch of her shirt missing and the skin underneath severely burnt where a fireball had struck her.

In a weak voice, Sinara said, "We found some ruins to the north and were about to return to camp when we found a trail of blood, as well a scrap of Relaru's shirt. We decided that something must have attacked and captured him. We tracked the blood trail further into the ruins, and saw Relarus tied up, laying unconcious. We were observing the place when we were surprised by the satyr. They ambushed us, and Misan said that she would hold them off while I got help. She... she sacrificed herself so that I could get away." The night elf hung her head, and Blackheart could smell the shame at leaving her comrade wafting off of her.

"Well, now we know where they are at," the captain said. "We just have to figure out how to get them."

Blackheart led Kalara and Miakoda up to the small group of night elves, saying, "We will go for them, Captain. Sinara, do you know how many there are?"

The night elf shook her head no. "We were attacked by at least five, there are probably more." With a look at the sky she added, "It will be dark soon… satyr rogues will be much harder to spot in the night."

"The night," Blackheart said, "is my home. They won't know what hit them."

With little to nothing in the way of supplies, there wasn't much preparation to be had before the three embarked on their rescue mission. They had learned from Sinara that the ruins were a mile north of where the rest of the crew was setting up camp. Only the faintest sliver of the moon was visibly in the starry sky. Kalara and Miakoda were carefully following Blackheart, his eyesight seemingly unimpeded by the darkness while they concentrated merely on not stumbling while walking. Turning to check his followers, Blackheart noticed Kalara's eyes glowing faintly in the darkness. The night wasn't pitch black, so her eyes wouldn't cause too much of a problem, but if it were it would be like a beacon to a creature of the night. No wonder there were no draenei rogues, he thought. They couldn't even hide in complete darkness.

After a half hour walk they reached the edge of the ruins and Blackheart could smell blood. As he investigated the area, he found two trails of blood: one leading into the ruins and one leading out. The one leading in must have been Relarus' blood; the one leading out was Sinara's. He also smelled the foul smell of demon's blood. Kneeling down, he motioned to his companions to join him. He whispered, "Over here," quietly.

Kalara and Miakoda walked over to him while the draenei whispered back, "What did you fi..." she cut herself off with a hiss. Blackheart had found a dead satyr and was crouching over it now. "I hate demons." Kalara said tersely.

"There are going to more of them about, so I'm sure you will get your chance to do something about that hatred. Sinara must have killed this once on the way out." Blackheart said. He turned the body over and with a sharp 'crack!' he extracted the glaive buried in its torso. After cleaning the weapon, he handed it to Miakoda. "I'm not sure if you're good with these, but the other night elf might be able to use it... if she's alive." The tauren nodded, closed the weapon, and put it into her pack.

"So what's the plan?" Miakoda asked. She had taken her bow out and was testing its pull.

Blackheart took a quick survey of the ruins. Ancient architecture lay toppled and debris was strewn everywhere. Where once had stood beautiful domes and gazebos magically carved from stone now lay piles of rubble overgrown with vines. The slight moonlight gave everything an eerie glow, as if all the buildings were ghosts and you could pass through them if you touched them. He didn't see any sign of satyr, nor could he smell them. Twenty paces away he spotted a raised dais with stairs going around the edges to the top that was fifteen paces off the ground. It would be an easily defensible place if things went bad.

"Follow me… quietly," he whispered as he led them to the top of the dais. Once at the top he was granted an improved view of the area, and with it he spotted what he had been searching for: light. A few hundred paces away were a cluster of ancient stone structures with light emanating from the other side of them. That was where they must be, or at least it would be a good place to start looking. But before they walked into the middle of a group of satyr, Blackheart decided to scout the place out first.

The worgen silently removed his sword and shield, whispering to the other two, "I'm going to scout the area out. You two stay here until I return." Once his equipment had been secured, he left, hearing Kalara's barely audible warning to be careful. He snuck through the ruins quietly, falling deeper into his predatory instincts. It was time to hunt.

Kalara had watched as Blackheart snuck towards the satyr encampment. She had wanted to watch over him the entire way, but mere paces away from the dais he had completely disappeared from her sight. She was still straining her eyes to find him when Miakoda laid a hand on her shoulder. "Be at ease Kalara," the tauren said. "He will be fine."

Kalara looked to the tauren then, feeling reassured. She knew that Blackheart would be ok. She knew that if anyone could sneak up on a bunch of demons, it would be him. She also knew that she had only ever worried about her sister as much as she worried about him. She could do nothing right now except wait.

Blackheart stayed low to the ground as he crept through the dark debris field. The lack of light and his own abilities made him near impossible to spot. He was starting to get the thrill that he had missed for the last several days. Stalking an unknowing prey always gave him a rush. As much as he hated to admit it, going in for the kill when his target didn't know what was coming gave him one of the biggest thrills he knew of.

When only half of the ruins remained between him and the light ahead, the foul stench of a demon drifted to him. It was like that of some kind of carrion; it was a sickly sweet rotten smell. Whatever he smelled wasn't very far away. He slowly eased his head above the pile of rubble he was behind and surveyed the area, looking for the creature he had sniffed out. He saw nothing. He thought it could be possible that one of them had used magic to conceal their presence… or it was hiding and waiting for someone like him to stumble into its trap.

He lowered himself back down, closed his eyes, and focused completely on the smell. He locked onto the stench, envisioning its intricacies and dissected it piece by piece. The foul stench slid down his nose and throat, almost choking him while he tried to discern where it came from. A few moments later and he zeroed in on the stench's origin. It was coming from a pile of rubble that was roughly twenty paces away. The satyr was hidden behind it.

Moving from shadow to shadow, Blackheart crawled through the darkness, his stomach barely above the ground. He didn't make a sound as he approached the foul smell emanating from behind the pile of rubble in front of him. Just as he reached the debris a pleasing sound reached his ears: snoring.

Creeping around the pile he found the satyr. It was resting its back against the rock pile, asleep. A spear was laying across its lap which it loosely gripped while its chest rose and fell to the slow cadence of snoring. Blackheart stood and approached the creature, but froze in place when its hoof twitched. The satyr turned its head to the other side and resumed snoring. Blackheart crept slowly up to the creature and reached for the large, curved horns protruding from its head. In one swift motion followed by a loud crack, Blackheart grabbed the horns, placed a foot on one shoulder to hold the satyr in place, and jerked its head to the side snapping its neck. No more snoring could be heard.

Blackheart left the satyr as he was; there was nowhere and no real need to hide the body. He dropped back close to the ground and used the shadows to cover his movement the rest of the way to the encampment. The foul stench of the demons ahead wafted to him. When he reached the edge of the camp, he peered around one of the stone structures, careful to stay out of sight. Before him he saw the satyr's camp. There were more than five or six… a lot more. He counted at least twenty of them. At the back of the camp he spotted what he sought: two bound captives, Misan and Relarus, laying in the dirt. This was going to be harder than he had hoped, but he was coming to expect these kinds of challenges.

Kalara almost yelled out when Blackheart appeared back at the dais. She had been watching for his approach so intently that when he went beneath her notice and was standing beside her it startled her. She whispered harshly, "How many times do I have to tell you not to sneak up on me like that! I'm starting to think that you actually enjoy it. One of these days," she started shaking her fist, now arcing with electricity, at the worgen, "you're going to scare me and I'm going to light you up like a bonfire."

Blackheart reached and closed his hand around her electrified fist, ignoring the short arcing pains and her surprised look before she let go of the nature magic, and whispered, "I'm sorry. I thought you would have seen me." He sat down, indicating for Miakoda and Kalara to do the same, then he relayed the layout of the camp to them.

"There are how many of them?" Kalara asked.

"I counted twenty, at least. There could be more." The worgen responded.

"Light Blackheart! Since I met you, every single fight we've been in has been on the scale of four or five to one. Couldn't you find a fair fight for once?"

"That wouldn't be very fun now would it?" The worgen said with a smirk.

"Well…" Kalara trailed off as a small orb of flame engulfed her hand. "I guess not."

Miakoda looked back and forth between the two and shook her head. "Great. Captured by crazy cultists, saved by crazy alliance," the tauren said.

Blackheart had made a rough sketch of the encampment with his claws on the dais. "The best I can see is that we swing around to the rear of the camp. There were only a few guards there, and we should be able to neutralize them without causing a stir. Then we get in, grab Misan and Relarus, and get out… unless anyone has a better idea?" The two others shook their heads no. "If we get into trouble, come back to the dais. It will be the most easily defensible position. Let's go."

Once the plan was agreed upon and they equipped themselves for the task at hand, it took the group a half hour to make the short distance to the rear of the satyr's camp. They were being extra cautious not to draw attention… and it was hard to hide a tauren. From their position they could just make out two guards watching in their direction, and directly behind them lay the two prisoners. The other satyrs were much further inside the camp and they didn't seem to be paying any mind to the guards.

Blackheart flexed his claws, set his equipment silently on the ground, and nodded to Miakoda. She readied an arrow in her bow while he slipped into the shadows and headed for the two satyrs. A few seconds later, Miakoda drew the arrow back and held it in preparation for Blackheart's strike. She took a careful bead on the satyr to the right and held her breath.

Blackheart used the debris and shadows to his advantage and snuck around to the left guard. They weren't too alert this night… too bad for them. In a flash the worgen was behind the guard, pulling his head back with one hand and using his claws to sever its throat. The other guard noticed immediately and opened his mouth to cry out. The only sounds that came from him were a gurgle and the sound of him hitting the ground with a large arrow protruding from his throat.

Blackheart crouched stock still for a few seconds to make sure they were still undetected. So far so good. He motioned Miakoda and Kalara over to him. Miakoda handed him his sword and shield as he continued to scan the area.

"I'm going to get Misan, you get Relarus." Blackheart whispered to Miakoda. "I don't see any guards… go now."

The three silently crept towards the unconscious prisoners. Blackheart's heart started racing when they entered the light from the torches all around, but they were moving as low to the ground and out of sight as possible. The satyrs were still all facing the other direction. They all seemed to be eagerly watching a spit roasting two large bucks over a fire. There was also a large stone house that had a satyr entering it. The trio reached the prisoners and picked them up to carry them out. As soon as Miakoda touched Relarus though, the entire area exploded in light as if it was full daytime, and a tremendously bright and loud signal flare lifted off from where they were.

The entire camp went silent for a few seconds as the satyr registered what had set off their proximity trap over the prisoners. They saw an armored worgen, a tauren, and a draenei, all standing with an odd expression on their face. The silence didn't last for long as a demonic call took up from the camp to kill the intruders.

Blackheart handed Misan to Kalara, who was able to shoulder the small night elf with little trouble and drew his sword and shield. "Run!" he yelled, and as Kalara tried to refuse and stay by him he pushed her after the already retreating Miakoda. "Just go! Run and don't look back. Now!" With another push, Kalara was staggering after Miakoda. As tears filled her eyes at having to leave Blackheart once more she heard the sickening sound of a sword cutting through flesh and bone.

Blackheart cut down satyr after satyr while backpedaling towards the dais. The worgen had watched in dismay as the demons had started emptying out of the house adding five, then ten, then fifteen more to the already large group who were coming after them. If he didn't move soon they would surround him. Turning a spear aside with his shield he roared in rage as he cut the attacking satyr in half, its torso falling away from still standing legs. He rushed forward past the dead creature, slamming his large shield into two more and knocking them to the ground.

The next two were on top of him almost instantly, and he was having a hard time deflecting all of their attacks… and soon more and more started to slip through. His chain mail deflected many of the wounds from glancing blows, but the more direct attacks broke the chain mail and pierced through to his skin. He tried to embrace the pain to access his rage but… there was nothing. He was too exhausted to harness any of the anger he knew to be there. After one particularly nasty stab on his thigh, he feinted stumbling and ran one of the satyr through as it went in for the kill. He used his foot to launch the dying demon off of his sword into its companion. Using the breath of time that it gave him, he quickly reversed direction and sprinted for the dais. He could only hope that Miakoda and Kalara had gotten there.

He hadn't gotten very far when his senses told him of danger and he spun just in time to deflect another spear that was aimed at his spine. That wasn't the satyr's only weapon though; it produced a set of two swords and put Blackheart on the defensive with a routine of attacks. To his side Blackheart noticed a bright flash as a fireball came hurtling for him. He barely deflected it successfully, but the satyr in front of him rushed him then. He was able to stop one of the swords with his, but the satyr pushed through with the attack, pinning Blackhearts sword arm down to his shield. The worgen looked up into the satyr's face, a wicked grin on its lips as it raised its free hand, and sword, to strike down on Blackheart… and then the satyr was gone. It was lying on its back with a huge arrow stuck in its chest. Blackheart saw more arrows stream over his head to take down three more of the pursuing satyrs. He started to run again when he saw the satyr hellcaster launch another fireball at him. This fireball was much more powerful and staggered him when it struck his shield, and he grimaced in pain as his shield was rapidly heated and it burnt his skin.

Fireball after fireball hammered into his shield; it was now glowing from the heat. Blackheart was looking for a way out when he heard a demonic cry of anguish from the hellcaster. Looking over his red hot shield he saw that the demon was… melting, its body covered in lava. Another huge burst of lava flew over his head and into the closest satyrs, scattering most but killing some. Kalara had joined the fight now, and had given him the chance he sought. He turned and sprinted full out to the raised dais.

Once at the top, he noticed that Misan and Relarus lay, still unconscious, in the middle while Miakoda and Kalara pumped out more ranged attacks. He heard Miakoda curse; she was out of arrows and there were still many times their number in satyr left. She pulled out the glaive they had retrieved earlier and took down one final satry with a well placed throw, the demon clutching at the ranged weapon buried in its chest. Kalara's attacks were coming much slower now as well. She was already exhausted from the day's previous events, but she was now taxing her limits.

"Get to the middle!" Blackheart called as Kalara started to sway after her last lava burst flew out. "I'll hold them off at the stairs."

The narrow stairs that wound around the dais would serve as a great choke point for holding the small structure. Blackheart set his shield down in front of him a few stairs from the top and dug in, waiting on the rush to come. He didn't have to wait for long.

He heard the hooves of the demons clattering up the steps, and in a few short moments the first satyr came around the corner. The ugly creature let out a cry of surprise as Blackheart's sword cut it down and it fell off of the structure. The second and third satyrs met similar fates… but they were coming too fast and Blackhearts exhaustion was catching up to him. He still could not access the rage that was usually burning inside of him. Being dead had just drained him too much.

One satyr slipped up to his shield and rammed it with his shoulder, fending off Blackheart's attacks with its own weapon. Then another, then a third slammed into his shield, forcing him back. He was putting all of his weight into holding them on the stairs, but soon he was being forced to retreat. When he reached the top of the dais he was leaning nearly to the ground pushing on the shield and it wasn't a matter of his strength any longer. Sparks and dust came from the claws on his feet as he was forcefully slid back along the top of the dais. The pressure stopped suddenly and he stumbled forward… only to get thrown backwards as a large bolt of pure shadow struck his shield. Instead of heating up like a fireball would, it seemed as though the residue was draining the life out of him... there was a satyr warlock to contend with now as well. With him back in the center of the platform near Miakoda and Kalara, the satyrs were free to flood the platform.

Before he could regroup, they were surrounded by snarling satyr. He looked everywhere and circled those in the middle trying to fend off the demons that got too close. This seemed to be it… he could never defend every direction at once, and not against so many of them. Despair washed over him when he heard a voice from behind him shout, "This is NOT going to happen again today!"

Blackheart felt the hairs all over his body start to stand on end. He thought it was because of the satyr that had surrounded them until he looked to Kalara. Her eyes always glowed, but now they were different. It was as if electricity was arcing out from them. "Get down!" she yelled with such command that Blackheart and Miakoda both dropped to the ground atop Relarus and Misan. Blackheart looked up to see Kalara floating up into the air. His skin was tingling and he smelt an acrid smell. He saw a satyr stalk up behind Kalara and raise his blade. As he yelled out, he was blinded by a flash of lightning that shot from the sky and struck Kalara, then arced out into the surrounding demons. An explosion rattled his entire body and left his ears ringing and his hair standing on end as the lighting and thunder washed over him. When he could see again, he saw Kalara lying on the dais and the satyrs were… gone. There were none to be seen. The only sign that they had been there was the foul stench of their blood in the air as well as some charred spots on the top of the dais.

Blackheart dropped his equipment and rushed to pick up Kalara. Her breathing and heartbeat were steady, but she was entirely unconscious. That last blast of elemental energy had completely drained her. Miakoda stood up and hoisted one of the rescued prisoners under each arm. "You certainly know how to show your girl a good time. Let's get back to camp." Blackheart gently picked up Kalara and carried her down the steps followed by Miakoda.

On the way back to camp, Kalara regained consciousness for a short while. She looked up to Blackheart and asked, "Did I do it? Are you safe?"

Blackheart nodded, responding, "You did it Kalara, you saved all of us."

She reached up and stroked the side of his face. He leaned into her touch as she whispered, "I'm glad," and she slipped back into unconsciousness. Blackheart held her a little closer on the way back to the camp.

Blackheart and Miakoda were soon hailed by some of the sailors that Captain Solia had set up as lookouts. They rushed to Miakoda and relieved the tauren of her burden, two night elves carrying Relarus while two more carried Misan. Blackheart turned down the assistance to carry Kalara; he would carry her himself. When he finally reached the camp he went to an unfurled bed roll that had been salvaged and laid her down on it, pulling the covers over her. He then went to get treated for his wounds.

By some stroke of luck, neither Relarus nor Misan required healing magic to survive; conventional medicine was enough to do the trick. Once the local sailor-turned-medic had finished checking on the two captives, she came to take a look at Blackheart. He removed his chain mail to let the night elf minister him. The many glancing blows hadn't pierced the skin, but they had left bruises invisible under his fur. They definitely did not feel invisible. The wound on his leg though, after running, fighting, and carrying Kalara had been made significantly worse. He gritted his teeth as the night elf pulled broken links of chain out of his wound and cleaned it with alcohol they had recovered from the ship. She then stitched it up, saying, "Done," once she finished. It wasn't the best stitching job he had ever seen, but it was far better than nothing. When Kalara felt better he might get her to heal it properly. Blackheart then cleaned the demon's blood off of his equipment and claws while Miakoda gave a report to the captain.

"So you think you got them all?" The captain asked.

"Well... Kalara didn't leave any standing and I didn't see any following us when we made our trip back. I imagine Blackheart would have smelled them out if they had." The tauren said.

Blackheart joined them as they finished talking. He was walking with a slight limp, trying to flex out the wounds in his leg and get back some mobility. He added his input to what Miakoda had said. "I don't believe there to be any more left of the camp. Kalara did a fair job wiping them out. How are Relarus and Misan doing?"

"They're still unconscious," Captain Solia said, "but their wounds aren't too severe. I believe, thanks to you, that both of them will recover just fine. But for now we have to keep watch on the area so that any remaining satyr don't catch us by surprise. I've sent out the few we could spare to constantly patrol and scout, but they're sailors, not trained lookouts."

Taking a quick gulp of water to refresh himself, Blackheart said, "I'll keep watch until daylight. That should make sure there are none that followed us." He turned and started to walked towards the forest then.

"You're in no condition to be out scouting for us," Captain Solia said, ordering him to stop. "You've been searching for all of us, then you fought off a slew of demons to save Misan and Relarus, not to mention the fact that you literally died today. You are going to stay here and my sailors will do the job." She accentuated her statement by pointing to the ground in front of her.

Blackheart looked over his shoulder and smirked at her. "Just keep a watch over Kalara while I'm gone." And with that he coiled his legs under him, grimaced at the pain in his thigh, and leapt into the branches of the nearest tree. Miakoda tried, unsuccessfully, to hide her smile at the sputtering night elf. Captain Solia was not used to someone directly disobeying a command of hers.

Moving from tree to tree and keeping the perimeter of their camp in check the entire night, Blackheart knew that the captain had been right. He was exhausted to the point that it was dulling his senses. However, even in his current state he could watch better than the sailors that were patrolling. He would often pass right over their heads without them noticing a thing. Luckily he never saw, nor smelled, any demons the entire night. They must have actually killed all of them. When daylight started creeping on, he dropped down a few feet in front of two patrolling sailors, startling them. He realized then that Kalara had been right, he actually enjoyed scaring people a little bit... it must have been something from his human days, jumping out and saying boo or something of the sort. Memories of his mother scolding him for scaring her came to him. He was finally starting to remember some of who he was, but it was all still very hazy.

He stood up then to feel the sunrise as it washed over the forest. This particular sunrise had a fairly significant meaning to him. As it breathed life into the forest around, so too did it breathe new life into him. He had died yesterday. He had been completely dead, in the spirit realm, and ready to stay there for eternity. He had even met his dead father there. Then a most peculiar thing happened: Kalara came into the realm of the dead just to bring him back to life. She not only exhausted and rose above herself using a technique she shouldn't even have known, but she had risked her soul to save him. Anyone can risk their life for someone... but to risk their soul? That took something that went well and above friendship. He knew that he would do the same for her... and he knew what that meant he felt for her.

Standing in the forest as the sun rose on this new day, Blackheart suddenly found himself, for the first time since he could remember, with a clear goal for his life in his mind. He made his way back to camp, past the still skittish guards, and curled up next to Kalara without bothering to give a report. He needed some rest now; he could barely keep his eyes open. But before sleep took him, one thought rolled over in his mind. Somehow, someway, he would gain his humanity back. And when that day came, if Kalara was still with him... he would show her just what he felt right now.


	13. Chapter 13 Darnassus

Author's Note - Sorry for the long break in between chapters. My life has recently picked up and I've been really busy. No, I have not given up on this story, but it will be taking me longer to get chapters out. Enjoy!

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Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 13

Darnassus

In the washed out grayscale of the spirit world, he saw her, lying on the ground after running into him. It was Kalara, she had come all this way just to get him. As he helped her to her feet, all he could look at was her face… it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Blackheart was still seeing images of her face as he drifted into consciousness in the camp. The worgen had slept well past noon; the previous day's events mixed with the night patrol had left him completely exhausted. He felt something… fingers… running in and out of the fur just behind his ears, tugging lightly at the fur as they pulled out and massaging his skin when they came back in. The feeling of his fur being played with mixed with a familiar scent that was close to him made him feel lethargic and very happy.

He cracked an eyelid open ever so slightly and surveyed his surroundings as best as he could. When his sight and hearing sharpened up from being asleep he could see that Kalara was idly playing with his fur while talking to Miakoda; they were discussing what was being cooked for lunch. From his vantage point he could see some of the night elves in better shape packing up the camp, while the more injured ones prepared lunch over a cooking fire. He knew he should get up… but the feeling of Kalara playing with his fur kept him rooted in place for the time being. It wouldn't hurt to just lie still a little while longer.

The smell of venison cooking over the fire wafted to him then. Kalara sniffed the air. "Mmm that smells delicious. I can't wait to eat."

Miakoda nodded, licking her lips. "It's lucky that I made some more arrows before going out this morning to look around. The deer just seemed to pop right up in front of me. You should probably wake Blackheart so he can eat; I imagine that he's famished."

"Mhm," the draenei agreed. She looked down to Blackheart, still seeming to rest peacefully at her side. She continued scratching Blackheart's fur for a few more moments. He had looked dead to the world when she woke that morning. Miakoda had told her that he was out patrolling all throughout the night. Even after going through so much already, he stayed out to make sure they had been safe and hadn't been followed. He had saved her so many times… put his life in immediate danger for her. Even in the spirit world, he had shoved her back into her body while the soul monsters were latched onto him, then he fought all the way to his body with those horrible things dragging him down… and she knew it was all for her.

With a quick look around to see that no one was looking, Kalara bent down and kissed the worgen on top the head before she shook him, quietly saying, "Wake up Blackheart, it's time to eat." The worgen lazily opened his icy blue eyes to look into hers. "Come on furball," she said in a kind, soft voice, "let's get you some food."

Blackheart slowly got to his feet, but staggered back to the ground when he put weight on his injured thigh. He let out a hiss of pain as he looked down to his now infected leg. The foul stench coming from the wound told him that the alcohol they had used last night to clean it must not have gotten all of the demon's blood out. With the way that the stuff smelled, it made since it could possibly infect a wound. Kalara was by his side quickly, and the scent of her healing magic overpowered the demon's blood.

As she ushered the cleansing elemental magic into the wound, she said, "Must you always get hurt so much?"

"It wouldn't be much of a day if you didn't have to heal me would it?" He responded.

She rolled her eyes, finishing up his leg. "It would be a fantastic day if I didn't have to heal your furry butt!" She said, turning with a huff to go to the campfire. Blackheart just chuckled.

They made their way over to where the cook fires were producing delicious smells. Blackheart's stomach growled loudly when the scent of food wafted to him. He hadn't had a proper meal since before leaving Azuremyst Isle. All the events of the previous day had left him famished. The venison he received was seasoned with some local herbs that Miakoda had found, and they had water to wash it down with. The meal itself wasn't anything special, but all who shared in that lunch appreciated every detail that was in it. After all of them narrowly escaping Deathwing's wrath, and then the satyr incident, it felt tremendous to just be alive.

Once breakfast had been finished, Blackheart noticed that Captain Solia was standing, quietly for once, near several patches of freshly turned dirt. That morning while Blackheart had still been sleeping, the sailors had gathered and buried their dead. The worgen approached the captain and noticed all of the graves had a lightly glowing rune at the head, with each enchanted rune telling the name and way of death of its grave's occupant. The captain turned at his approach.

"So many good sailors lost." She said quietly. "Eighteen of us… over half of my crew that I've known for years. Gone in an instant and there was nothing I could do to protect them."

Blackheart had never seen the captain be anything close to somber before. She was always barking out orders or being stern with her crew. It was a stark contrast to how the night elf normally was.

"Always before I could see pirates coming… I could read the weather and shelter them from storms. I could keep them safe. I was their captain, and they my crew… a bond almost as strong, and sometimes more so, than family. I've lost crew members before but…" she trailed off. Blackheart could smell the bitterness of defeat and sadness rolling off of her.

"I remember always being told to not mourn someone in their death, but to celebrate how they lived." Blackheart said quietly.

He wasn't very skilled at helping to console people when it came to death. His previous life in an army had made him aware of how easy it was for someone to be snatched from you that you cared for. He couldn't imagine being in a leadership position and losing those under you, but he could well guess what it felt like when you were responsible for someone's life and when that life was lost. He walked back to the camp then, having nothing else to say to Captain Solia. He was happy though that her scent had changed from anguish to one of… acceptance. He guessed that she must have been recalling their lives.

The captain returned to camp a short while later and once again resumed her order giving role. They were going to set out for Auberdine, or what remained of it, and from there try to reach Darnassus. The entire camp moved about quickly and effectively, packing up all of the supplies they had scavenged and preparing to depart. Blackheart, his two companions, and Relarus joined the captain when she scavenged the last thing from her ship: the wheel that had served as the helm of her ship.

At the groups inquiring looks, she said matter-of-factly, "When I get a new ship, it'll need a helm. I might as well use this one."

Once everything was gathered up, they set off towards the direction that they thought Auberdine was in. They soon found that Deathwing's passage had not only caused a tsunami, it had sundered the land as well. Most of the night elves were familiar with the Darkshore area and they constantly encountered new hills, valleys, and creeks that hadn't been there previously. A few hours later when they reached the charred remnants of trees, they knew that they were close. When Auberdine finally came into view, it took their breath away.

What was left of Auberdine was merely rubble. What hadn't been burned down by the dragon's fire had been washed away. The dock was completely gone, leaving no trace that it had ever even existed. Every building in town was completely destroyed; there were no buildings that had been left standing, it was complete and total devastation. Broken and charred timbre and mortar lay everywhere in the town… and that's when they saw the bodies. The corpses of those who had met Deathwing's wrath lay broken everywhere. There were hundreds upon hundreds of bodies, too many for Blackheart to count, scattered throughout the village. Though the dead consisted mainly of night elves, dwarves, draenei, and a few humans and gnomes were intermingled in the carnage. The unbroken bodies looked as if they had drowned, there was little visible outside damage to them. The debris from the tidal wave hitting had killed many, with bodies partially buried in wreckage or impaled, and in some cases they saw severed arms or legs missing the rest of the body. The unrecognizable black skeletons must have taken the full effect of the dragon's breath. They were, strangely, the lucky ones, most likely dying instantaneously.

The entire group was in a trance at the scene that was laid bare before them. They had all known it would be bad, but none of them were prepared for this. It was a loss of life on a scale which none of them had experience. Blackheart followed Kalara to a clear spot of ground where she retched and lost the lunch they had had. A few of the night elves did the same, while some just broke down into tears. So many lives had been lost here. How many other places had suffered a fate such as this… what had been let loose on their world? Blackheart was slightly blunted from the atrocity, his previous army experience had known such massive casualty as this… but those had been trained warriors who knew that death was waiting for them at every turn. These had been civilians, just regular people going about their lives that had, in an instant, been snuffed out. He rubbed Kalara's back as she finished emptying her stomach, and when she could stand she clung to his arm, tears streaming freely down her eyes.

"Why…" was all that she could ask.

Blackheart pulled her close to him and hugged her, slowly petting her hair while she wept at the disaster. "I don't know," he said. "I truly do not know."

Miakoda and Captain Solia seemed too stunned for words at the grisly scene. Both of them stood in complete stillness and silence, an unfocused gaze wandering over the wreckage of the town. The captain's ship helm lay forgotten on the ground while her hands hung idly at her sides. Relarus was sitting on the ground, staring emptily at the devastation. The loss of life assaulted him as hard as any physical blow would have. None of the group knew what to do, or even where to start... until Blackheart's hearing picked up a sound from within a pile of wreckage.

A large pile of broken boards and mortar laid a few paces away, and from within it Blackheart heard something. Thinking that it could be a survivor he instantly bounded over to the pile and started tearing it apart. Hunched over like a canine he started trying to tunnel into the pile, using his hands and claws to sling dirt, bricks, and wood out behind him at a frantic pace. It took the rest of the group only a moment to catch on, but soon they were all around him trying to help. Most of the sailors surrounded the pile and started digging at it while Miakoda picked up the largest chunks of mortar and threw them to the side. Blackheart was vastly ahead of the rest of the group though, and his upper torso was tunneling under the pile, hidden from view under the debris. Once he was hidden from his waste up, the spray of materials he was throwing back stopped suddenly. Everyone stopped and watched as he spent a few seconds completely motionless, then slowly withdrew from the pile of rubble. He was covered in dirt and plaster, and when he withdrew from the pile a small night elf child came with him, her arms wrapped around his neck.

The child gripped the fur on the sides of Blackheart's neck and had her face buried in his shoulder. Her pale pink skin and bright white hair was covered in soot, dirt, and mortar. Except for a few scrapes and bruises, however, she seemed to be uninjured. Blackheart sat down and the child still clung to him.

He looked to Miakoda and quietly said, "In there is still…" and he trailed of for a few seconds, looking down to the girl clinging to him. "Just keep digging," was all that he could finish with.

Miakoda solemnly nodded, fully expecting it when she found the broken, charred body of a night elf wearing priest's robes. There was a small space underneath her, one that the child could fit in. Everyone understood then. The only reason the child was even alive was that the adult, whoever she was, had poured everything she had into a shield to protect the little girl. The group carefully removed the body, laying it aside reverently.

Kalara was kneeling next to Blackheart then, staring at the little girl. Slowly she loosened her grip and looked up into Blackheart's face, meeting his gaze with her own amber colored eyes. The worgen was afraid that she would run away then, but she continued just to stare at him, taking him in wholesale. The way she looked at him almost unnerved him. There was an intelligence in those eyes that he did not expect to see in a child, and when she looked into his eyes it was as if she was reading the very depths of his soul. He could see the overwhelming sadness in her eyes as well, could smell it roiling off of her tiny form. There was no sign of relief at being saved, there was only the knowledge that all she had known, everything in life that she had loved had been taken away from her. Her world had been destroyed. She didn't run because she had no fear left in her.

Blackheart asked quietly, "What is your name, little one?"

The girl opened her mouth as if to speak, but after looking around at all the night elves she closed it again. She leaned in close to Blackheart's ear and whispered in a tiny voice, "Tyria," before leaning back and latching her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

Blackheart sat and held Tyria while Captain Solia handed out orders. "Search for survivors. If you find anyone at all, call for help immediately. Go."

An hour later they had covered most of the wreckage and had not found a single other survivor. They had, however, found footprints that had been made after the town had been destroyed. The survivors had headed north along the coast, however many of them there were. The mixing of the tracks made it impossible to tell how many had made it, however they did show that a variety of races had survived. The entire time the search had been conducted Tyria had clung to Blackheart and wouldn't let anyone else, except Kalara, near her without turning her face and hiding. It was almost as if she feared other night elves. Tyria had taken a special interest in Kalara when the shaman used her healing magic to close the wounds of the small night elf. She watched wide eyed as the blue magic coalesced in the shaman's hands and slowly washed over her, knitting the skin back together and healing her burns. Kalara smiled at the child then, and for the first time since she had been rescued, a small smile appeared on Tyria's face.

"It looks like you've made a friend," Blackheart said.

Kalara pulled some cloth out of her pack and slowly started wiping soot from the child's face. When Tyria didn't recoil, she continued until her face, neck, and arms were clean. "A pretty little girl like Tyria should always have friends," the draenei said with a smile. Tyria just smiled back, silent as usual.

Once the search had been completed, Captain Solia rounded up the group. "We need to follow the survivors and see what their situation is." She ordered. The group set out then, heading north along the coast following the tracks left by the Auberdine survivors. They kept a steady pace along the beach. The quiet lapping of the waves breaking on the sand provided a sense of serenity that was welcome after the chaos of the past two days.

When they had left the ruins of Auberdine, Tyria had clung to Blackheart fiercely. After a half hour of walking, Blackheart decided that the little night elf could hold on for herself, and she let out a little squeal of surprise as the worgen lifted her and sat her on his shoulders. Kalara was laughing at the multitude of looks that crossed Tyria's face. First was confusion at being lifted into the air followed by the fear of falling as she sat atop Blackheart's shoulders. Then came the look of wonder as she realized she was now taller than everyone else and could see for what seemed like forever to her. The last, and current, look gracing her features was one of contentment as she gripped the fur along Blackheart's head and stared off across the ocean.

They had been traveling for hours when dusk started to set in and they saw lights on the beach in the distance. Blackheart carefully took the now sleeping Tyria from his shoulders and gently handed her to Kalara. He walked to the head of the procession to where the captain was leading them. He turned to the captain, saying, "I will scout ahead and make sure we're not running into any more surprises." The captain nodded to him as he disappeared into the trees, returning a short while thereafter.

"What's it look like?" The captain asked him.

"It appeared to be those that survived Auberdine have set up a small camp. There are few hundred there." He responded.

"Only a few hundred! There were over five thousand residents of Auberdine! I knew it was bad but…" the captain trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. "Well let's get going and see if there's any way we can help."

The night was in full swing as they reached the edges of the camp, and soon they heard a hail in Darnassian as the group approached the camp. A small group of sentinels met them at the edge of camp, halting them as a precaution. It appeared to be going smoothly until they inevitably noticed Blackheart standing at the rear of the group. The guard that spotted him let out a call that sounded like an owl. Thirty sentinels appeared out of the forest in a matter of seconds, all training their bows and glaives on Blackheart. "What is the meaning of this?" The guard demanded.

Captain Solia sighed, and in an agitated voice said, "He's with us. It's fine, you can put your weapons away now."

The guard wasn't convinced in the slightest. She raised her bow and drew back, taking a bead on Blackheart. The rest of the sentinels did the same, drawing back bowstrings and tensing to throw their glaives. "Get away from him everyone, we're taking him down!" she yelled at Blackheart's group. Somehow she must have thought she was saving them from him.

"You will do no such thing, unless you want to come through us." An irate Captain Solia said.

It surprised Blackheart when Captain Solia and the entire crew of her ship surrounded Blackheart, putting themselves in between him and the unconvinced guards. Aside from Kalara he hadn't seen anyone stick up for him. He was constantly expecting to fight for acceptance, and it was pleasantly surprising to realize that those around him were judging him based on his actions and not his appearance. His hair started to stand on end, and he looked over to see Kalara's eyes and fists arcing with electricity. To his other side he heard Miakoda draw tight the ballistae she called a bow. This could go very wrong very quickly. There was tense, nearly palpable silence covering the area.

So tense was Blackheart he almost jumped when a small hand tugged on his. He looked down to see Tyria with her hands raised, beckoning him to pick her up. He was reluctant at first. If for some reason the sentinels were to open fire, she would be protected right now. But if he picked her up she would be directly in danger, and Blackheart didn't want to put her in that situation. The look she gave him with those amber eyes though… it told him to just trust her, that if he listened to her and picked her up the situation would sort itself out. He slowly bent over and picked her up drawing gasps from the sentinels surrounding them and a terse 'What are you doing?' from Kalara. He looked over at her and had no answer.

"Tyria!" the guard called. "Unhand her you foul beast. Move out of the way kinswomen or we will not stay our shots!"

"STOP!" a powerful voice cried out. Blackheart looked over at Tyria, astonished at the command that she held in her voice. Her amber eyes seemed to be on fire, and she projected a presence as if you should listen to her no matter what. "Don't hurt them. They're my friends. They saved me!" Tyria said. The sentinels so bent on killing them earlier instantly stood down, and the leader bowed her head to Tyria. Blackheart and Kalara shared awestruck looks. This child who, until just now, had said only one word had commanded a group of sentinels with just the power of her voice. The two also shared a thought: just who is this child?

"I apologize Tyria, I did not realize that they were with you." The leader of the sentinels said. She turned to the captain then. "You are free to go then."

The sentinel leader led them into the camp and showed them a place where they could join the camp. As they walked into the midst of the camp, the fires shed light on what the survivor's conditions were. Many of the survivors, nearly half of them, were down and wounded, laying in beds while others rushed around to attend to their needs. There were more than a few gasps and remarks concerning Blackheart and Miakoda, but like always they ignored them.

Once they reached the area where they should prepared their own place, Blackheart sat down Tyria and both he and Kalara kneeled down next to the child while Miakoda remained standing behind them. "Just who are you?" Blackheart asked.

The child turned her too intelligent gaze on him before responding, as if quoting a mantra she had been made to memorize, "I'm Tyria Whisperwind. My mother was a priestess of Elune and a distant relative of Tyrande Whisperwind." She finished her statement to the widening eyes of Blackheart and Kalara. This child was a relative one of the most important night elves in the last thousand years. She had a very sad look on her face now though. "I guess you will run away from me just like everybody else does when they know who I am," she said in a sad tone.

Kalara looked to Blackheart and shared a look with him before responding. "Of course not Tyria. You said we were friends right?" The child nodded. "Well, I for one don't run out on my friends. Neither does Blackheart. He's my best friend, and he's never let me down even for a second. I'm sure he won't let you down either."

Miakoda chimed in then, and when she spoke the child looked up at her with wide eyes. "Blackheart helped to save me, just like he helped to save you. And if he didn't run away from me, a tauren, I know he won't run away from you." The child visibly brightened then.

"How about you find a place for all of us to stay?" Blackheart said. Tyria turned and started walking around, surveying possible spots to sleep all four of them.

"I never knew you were so good with kids." Kalara said.

"I had two younger siblings… I must have remembered how I used to treat them." He responded.

Kalara smiled at him before standing and saying, "What do you remember of your childhood?"

"Not much sadly. Just that I had a younger brother and sister, but beyond that I can't remember what kind of relationship I had with them, other than knowing that I loved them very much."

"It must have been all those blows to the head you've taken getting into fights." Miakoda said with a smirk.

Tyria came back to get them then. "I found a spot for us!" she said cheerfully and took Blackheart by the hand and led them all to a small spot that had been cleared out near the edge of the camp. They set to work immediately, unpacking what little they had been able to bring with them. Once they finished unpacking they bedded down for the night. Kalara slept on a blanket with Blackheart curled up next to her. Miakoda rolled up a blanket for her head. Tyria slept on the blanket in between Kalara and Blackheart.

When Blackheart awoke just before the sunrise, he stayed where he was. He felt some pressure and looked over to see Tyria's little hand gripping his fur. She was lying snuggled up to Kalara but had reached out to hold onto Blackheart in the night. He rested his head on his hands and faced east, looking for the sun to rise over to top of the mountains he saw in the distance. When it finally broke the horizon it brought with it a sense of life, that of appreciating and creating it. He could smell the salt rolling in from the ocean mixed with the smells of the forest. He enjoyed the sensation for as long as he could; he had a feeling they had a lot of work ahead of them.

All of the group that had joined the previous night were set to work shortly after the sun rose. Blackheart and Miakoda were made to use their strength to aid in the construction of a palisade around the encampment, while Kalara and Relarus healed as many people as they could before succumbing to exhaustion.

The next few weeks were spent building the settlement. The concerns most of the survivors had harbored about Blackheart and Miakoda were erased once they saw all of the hard work they were putting into rebuilding a home for them. At the end of the first week, a messenger from Darnassus finally arrived via hyppogryph. Within a day of the messenger, a boat full of night elves arrived to aid them in constructing the new settlement, Lor'Danel. The strangest part to Blackheart, as well as his comrades, was the fact that these night elves seemed to readily accept him, if at first unnerved by his appearance. The rest of their time spent at Lor'Danel had been very busy. The had all aided in what ways they knew how to get the town up and running. Once the inn had been built, Blackheart, Miakoda, Kalara, and Tyria shared a room together. Their quarters were cramped, but after the amount of excitement they had faced before reaching Lor'Danel, a cramped room was nothing. Blackheart also spent every free second he had with Kalara. She was the first friend he had made since becoming a worgen, but they both knew that it was turning into something more than that. By the time the dock was completed and a ship was running regularly chartered trips to Darnassus over a month had passed. The day one such boat was coming into Lor'Danel, Relarus pulled Blackheart aside and led him to where they could speak privately.

"It is time that we must travel to Darnassus. I need to return and report on what I have been doing, and more importantly, that I am alive. We also need to get Miakoda home." The druid said to Blackheart.

"I agree. Though I wonder what will be done about Tyria."

"She is going to come with us. Tyrande is her closest relative, so she must decide what is to be done with the child." The druid responded.

"I'll gather everyone up then." Blackheart said as he headed off towards their cramped room in the inn.

Blackheart approached the room quietly. He could smell Kalara's magic as he had approached the door. So accustomed had he become to her many scents over the time he had known her he could instantly tell what she was thinking or feeling, as well as being able to tell if she was channeling magic. Coming from the room, he smelt the all too familiar watery scent of her healing magic. He silently eased the door open to see Miakoda sitting on her bed that was opposite of Kalara's. Tyria was sitting on the draenei's bed, a few tear tracks stained her small face and the remnants of a skinned knee were disappearing under the gentle flow of Kalara's magic. Once it was finished, Kalara bent over and kissed the girls knee.

"There now, all better, yes?" The draenei asked with a smile.

"Yes! Thank you 'Lara" The child said. She had given all of them nicknames in the time that they had spent together. Kalara had become 'Lara, and Miakoda had simply been shortened to Mia. The captain had been named Grumpy and, much to Blackheart's constant chagrin, he had been named Wolfy. Kalara teased him to no end about that, and Miakoda wasn't much better. Tyria hopped off the bed and gave Kalara a quick hug before turning to see Blackheart standing in the doorway. "Wofly!" she said as she bounded towards him and hugged his leg. "I fell and 'Lara fixed my knee for me."

Blackheart knelt down in front of the girl. "Yes, she has healed me a lot." In a loud whisper, as if to make it a secret, he cupped his hand over his mouth and said, "She's really good at it, but don't tell her. It will go to her head."

Tyria laughed and said, "You're silly Wofly. What are you doing here?"

"I can't just come see my three favorite girls for the fun of it?" Miakoda laughed loudly at that, and Kalara giggled. "Actually, I've come to say that we are going to be leaving."

Tyria's demeanor changed almost instantly. "Leaving? Who is leaving? And where are they going?"

"All of us are. You, Kalara, Miakoda, Relarus, and I are going to go to Darnassus."

"Why?" she asked. Blackheart heard Kalara snicker and knew she was remembering a question session that had gone on for what seemed like hours earlier in the week. It had started out innocent enough with Tyria asking why Blackheart had fur, him telling her because he was a worgen, and her constantly questioning everything he said. It ended with Blackheart trying unsuccessfully to explain the meaning of life to her.

Her eyes widened when he told her the reason. "I'm going to take you to meet Tyrande, and I am going to try and figure out how to get my memory back."

Blackheart, as well as the others, were once again surprised by the maturity of something the little night elf said. She put a hand on each side of his face and looked at him with those amber eyes. "When you get all those memories back, don't you go forgetting all the memories you've made with us, ok?" She said.

After a stunned silence spent enthralled in those eyes, he covered her hand with his. "I promise."

The preparations for them to leave went by quickly. None of the group had very much except what they had come to the settlement with. Perhaps a few extra pieces of clothing made to replace ones torn and covered in blood stains here and there, but they were all traveling lightly. The group met Relarus at the dock as the ship that would take them to Darnassus came into port. When everyone started to board, Miakoda stood stock still on the dock, staring at the ship.

"What is it?" Relarus asked, coming back down the gangplank to stand next to her. "Did you forget something?"

"I hate boats." was all that she said. When Relarus tried to urge her to get onto it so they could complete their trip, the tauren started stammering excuses. "I'll... I'll just stay here. I can walk to Moonglade, or maybe even just back down to Mulgore. I don't really need to go to Darnassus." Miakoda started slowly inching her way back away from the ship.

Blackheart could smell the uneasiness coming off the tauren, and after her last experience with a boat he couldn't blame her. He was about to try and bring her aboard when Tyria walked back down towards her. Miakoda had moved a few feet back from the boat when she was stopped by Tyria's small hand grasping hers. "Come on Mia." the child said. "We're going to Darnassus. It'll be ok." The group watched in amazement as the small night elf led the tauren up the gangplank and onto the boat.

"That child," Blackheart said to Kalara, "is going to be a very powerful person someday." She nodded her agreement.

Once they were settled in for the trip, Kalara said, "You must be getting quite popular now. We didn't have to defend you from these sailors. They didn't automatically want to kill us."

"Funny." the worgen said, rolling his eyes. "I don't think that's it. Something is... different."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure." he responded. "Something about these night elves is different than usual. It's not something that I can explain, it's almost as if I'm nothing special to them."

"Well that's unique. Surely Relarus told them, or they've heard from the other people that you're here."

"Maybe." He said to her, turning to look at the now departing town. It still didn't set right with him. Something was off, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

The trip took most of the day. Miakoda, like her previous boat ride, spent the majority of it leaning over the rail. Blackheart and Kalara were with Tyria at the prow of the boat, just enjoying watching the craft cut its wake out of the ocean. They could see Teldrassil long before reaching the dock. The giant tree which served as the home of the night elves had come into view shortly after leaving the dock. Both Blackheart and Kalara had stared in awe at the thing as they approached, amazed that such a giant tree could even exist. Tyria made Blackheart hold her above the rails so she could watch it approaching as well. The little night elf had spent nearly the entirety of the trip gazing at the approaching tree.

When they finally reached the dock, they departed from the ship. Miakoda was off first, greatly relieved at being on solid ground again. Relarus led them towards the glowing red portal that would teleport them into the city of Darnassus. Blackheart looked to Kalara when they reached the portal, unsure of the proper method for using such a thing. She just smiled, shrugged, and walked into the shimmering red light where she vanished from view. Blackheart followed suit, walking forward and letting the light encompass him. As soon as he was fully enveloped in the portal everything went dark, and it felt like he was moving impossibly fast. He had never been prone to motion sickness, but this was definitely making him uneasy. It was over quickly though, and the world flashed up in front of his eyes. Kalara was there waiting for him, and he continued towards her until a smell set his fur on end. She gave him a confused look, then followed where his wide eyed gaze had stopped. What she saw set her back on her heels. Coming towards them were a pair of worgen.


	14. Chapter 14 Change

Author's Note: Hello everyone. Sorry for taking SO BLOODY LONG to post. Once again, I haven't given up yet but I've been really busy with fun stuff (vacation) and sad stuff (funerals) so my will to write was slightly deteriorated for this chapter. Next one should be better though. Also, thanks to a suggestion from a reader I'm going to be fancy and try using horizontal line breaks to better show time disparages. Woo snazzy! Enjoy!

* * *

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 14

Change

When Kalara saw the two worgen slowly approaching them, she backed up until she bumped into Blackheart. Once the pair were close enough she could hear that they were talking. It was a strange dialect of common; they were discussing the Cataclysm. Soon the pair passed them by without a second glance. Kalara looked up at Blackheart and saw he was no longer watching the two that had walked past. Following his gaze she understood why: there were thousands of worgen roaming around Darnassus. Blackheart was awestruck at their numbers.

The rest of the group stood in amazement as well. Miakoda was the first to break the silence. "Relarus… what is all this?"

"I… do not know," the night elf said. He took a sweeping look around him before saying, "Much has changed since we have been gone."

Blackheart could not stop looking at and smelling the worgen around him. Until this moment he had thought that he was unique, a lone sane worgen among all those senseless monsters out there… and now his perception on life had coming crashing down. All of these other worgen were clearly in control of themselves… and strangest of all they were fully accepted by those around them. His life may have just gotten much easier.

Blackheart was still lost in thought staring at Darnassus when Relarus interrupted him, saying, "We must take Tyria to see Tyrande." He then turned and led them towards the large temple. The group followed the night elf over the bridges and small lake to get to the temple. Each group member was focusing on something different on the short trip. Blackheart focused on the worgen that he was surrounded by. Kalara, while she did look at the worgen, tried to take all of Darnassus in. Until they had made their fateful journey to Auberdine she had never been outside of Azuremyst Isle. She was amazed by the natural beauty that was Darnassus, and she was still having problems believing that they were in a giant tree. Miakoda took in the city much more stoically, that and she tried to not draw too much attention to herself. Great members of the Cenarion Circle most night elves might be, but she was still Horde and they Alliance. Tyria, while she was wide eyed and curious, kept in between the group. Even after all this time she seemed more comfortable with other races than her own. Captain Solia opted to wait with her crew saying something about not liking it when someone outranked her.

As they started to ascend the steps to the temple, they all stopped when two very important figures appeared at the top of the stairs. The night elf to the right he knew from her dress and from what he had been told: Tyrande Whisperwind. The human to the left he did not know, but he was dressed as a king. They continued towards Blackheart's group, talking quietly to each other. When Tyrande reached them, she slowed to a stop. "Relarus?" she asked. The human king remained silent, though Blackheart got the distinct feeling that the human was looking at him… closely. Blackheart's senses were very confused by him. His appearance was that of a human. But his smell was that of something feral… that of a worgen.

Relarus bowed before the night elf leader. "Greetings Tyrande."

Tyrande smiled then, saying, "I had heard that you were… lost. I am pleased to see it is not so. Who are your companions?"

Relarus turned to the group following him and introduced all of them. "This is Kalara, a remarkably powerful shaman. Next is Blackheart, a worgen who's prowess as a warrior is also outstanding. This is Miakoda, and last," he paused as he ushered Tyria out from behind Blackheart's legs, "I believe you know this young lady."

Tyrande's eyes widened as she dropped down to her knees and slowly put a hand on Tyria's shoulder. A smile slowly formed as she said quietly, "Tyria. When I heard about Auberdine I feared I would never see you again."

The night elf girl walked forward and embraced her relative. "If it weren't for Blackheart I wouldn't be here. He saved me." She said, pointing at the worgen.

Tyrande picked her up, holding her close as she said to Blackheart, "I must thank you for saving Tyria, I'm sure she couldn't have made it without you…" she trailed off and seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "How did you make it from Gilneas to Auberdine in time to save her, I wonder?"

A look of confusion matching his feelings crossed Blackheart's face as he considered her words. "Gilneas?" he asked. "I am unsure that I have ever been to Gilneas." As the words left his mouth, a sudden influx of darkness which seemed to suck in the light came from the human king. Standing in his place was a worgen that equaled Blackheart in size. Blackheart's mouth dropped open. That human had just… changed into a worgen.

Stepping forward the worgen came face to face with Blackheart, staring deep into his eyes. The new worgen asked, "Who are you, worgen? Where did you come from? How is it that you claim to have never been to Gilneas but can still talk to us? If you never came from Gilneas how did you come about the potion that kept all of us sane?"

Blackheart could feel the challenge radiating off of this worgen, could smell the scent of a leader of the pack. It felt very much like he wanted to obey this worgen without knowing why. He shook his head trying to clear it as he answered, "My name is Blackheart, though as a human I was known as Kaleth. I… it is hard to remember everything about where I came from before I was turned. I do not know of what potion you are talking about, and neither do I know why I am sane other than some fluke that kept my humanity."

The kingly worgen circled him then, sniffing the air and appraising him. "Blackheart is it… my name is Genn Greymane. I am the king of Gilneas… or was until the forsaken pushed us out of our home. I can tell by your scent you are speaking the truth, and I saw by your expression you have never seen us transform before… I can only assume you do not possess the ability. Gilnean born or not, you, my people, and I share a bond through this curse that goes beyond what country we were born in. As someone who has shared the pain of isolation because of that curse, I am obliged to offer you what all of us now possess: the ability transform back into a human."

The offer hit him like a rock. He was too stunned to speak for a few moments. Become human again? He had never thought it would actually happen. Until meeting Kalara he hadn't even been able to recall any of his human memories, and now there was a chance for him to live a normal life. He looked down at his clawed, furry hand. Slowly flexing it, he realized he couldn't imagine his own human hand in its place. Had it been so long seeing his natural born body that it wasn't possible to imagine it anymore? Would he look in a mirror as a human and not recognize the reflection he saw? He didn't know the answer to those questions. His contemplation was broken by Kalara rubbing his arm. When he looked to her she smiled and nodded. "What must I do?" he asked of the worgen.

King Genn smiled then, and in a flash of light and smoke he was a human again. "Follow me." The king led Blackheart and the rest of the group to the Howling Oak, explaining along the way of their exodus to Darnassus from Gilneas at the hands of the Forsaken. Miakoda was surprised, and angered, to hear about the Forsaken's use of the plague; when she returned home, whenever that may be, she would report it. Along the way, the smells of thousands of worgen assaulted Blackheart's nose. Generally the smell of even a few worgen were enough to set his hair on end and send him looking for a way to escape, but these smells they were of… home was the best sensation he could describe it as. It was as if the smell of this place was purposefully meant to convey comfort and welcome.

The others in his group were looking around in amazement. There were hundreds of visible worgen, as well as the rest of the Gilnean's that had accompanied them. While the others just took in all of the sights, Kalara's interest was piqued by a small family that was nearby. She watched as the husband kissed his wife and hugged his son before transforming into a worgen, much to his son's delight, and running off to work or some other errand. Next she saw a female worgen acting as a horse for a small child, riding him around on her back for a short pace before turning back into a pretty human woman and picking up the child. She smiled at the thought of all of these people making life happen, and at the thought that, even though some were worgen, making a family could still happen.

As Genn led the group to a small grove he talked for a short while with Blackheart, learning of his acceptance at Azure Watch through his actions. Once they reached the grove, they saw that it was completely empty except for three pedestals atop which rested basins of water. He could smell the water from here, and it definitely wasn't from a local stream. Furthermore, each basin seemed to have its own distinct smell that set it apart from the rest.

Standing slightly behind the basins, Genn spread his arms, motioning to the water contained within. "These three wells, Balance, Tranquility, and Fury, were brought with us from Gilneas. They each contain water from Tal'doren, a place where the original worgens came into being. All you must do is drink from these three basins. When you have finished, you will be able to fully master yourself as a worgen… and as a human. You are the first worgen that I have met to be able to maintain control over their humanity without the help of our alchemy or these three wells. I can only assume that the strength of will you possess is second to none. My people have known the fear you have shared, that of isolation from the rest of Azeroth. The night elves have shown us a superior amount of kindness, first in teaching us to master ourselves and second in allowing us into their home to share as our own for the time being. This acceptance that I have been so proud to accomplish with the help of all of my people, you have done all on your own starting in Azure Watch. Despite your appearance you seem to be surrounded by friends and comrades in arms without the need of an Alliance proclamation declaring us allies. We need exceptional worgen like you to help rebuild our nation. With this gift that I bestow upon you of turning human again, I ask one in return. Join us as Gilnean. You do not even need to participate in our military or political affairs, merely representing our nation as a citizen is enough. I have known great people, and I sense greatness from you."

Leaving his group behind, he stepped up to the basins. Not only was this king in front of him offering the gift of humanity, but that of citizenship and a nation to call his own. "I would be honored." Blackheart said with a bow. At Genn's nod, he tentatively approached the first basin, the Well of Balance. It smelled of ancient magic and… like a night elf, but slightly different somehow. He slowly cupped a handful of the water and lifted it to his lips. A voice, seeming to come from everywhere at once, said to him, "Let the scythe unbind that which was not meant to be bound! Let the soul master the beast, lest the beast master the soul!" When he looked to Kalara and the rest of his group it was clear those words had been for him and him alone.

The next well, Tranquility, smelled equally as old as the first but also smelled like a worgen. Drinking this water he was unsurprised when a voice told him, "Just as Dral'nir soothes the cursed druids who gave into the beast and abandoned balance, let Tal'doren soothe you."

Finally was the Well of Fury, and its smell matched its namesake. The smell was that of pure rage, but the creature associated with the well was that of a wolf, not a worgen. Blackheart took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and plunged his hands into the well and drank. He heard the voice say, "Just as Goldrinn's spirit once blessed our druids, be blessed with the wisdom of his race and the ferocity of the wolf god." He could feel something within him, a torrent of feeling running through his entire body. At first he felt normal, but slowly that feeling began to change. It felt like his fur was changing into… skin. His legs were straightened out to be like those of humans, and he no longer had an elongated face. His senses were dulled, and his back straightened. As soon as it seemed he was what felt like human again his feeling shifted back towards that of the worgen. He could once again smell all of the complexities of the forest around him. He could hear everyone's steady breathing and he felt his teeth and face elongating into that of the vicious worgen. This flux happened many times until he was unsure whether he was a human, worgen, or something in between. When he opened his eyes and looked to his hands he saw… fur. He was a worgen still.

When he looked up to Glenn the king nodded. "The change will not happen all at once, and will not be complete until you yourself master it. I would suggest finding some place you can be without disturbance, possibly the inn, and focus on your inner self. You must learn to exercise control over your own body. Drinking from the wells only grants you the ability to master yourself. The final act comes down to you."

Nodding to the king, Blackheart suddenly felt very exhausted. He looked to his companions then. "Let's find an inn."

* * *

Blackheart had been staring at a mirror in his small room for the better part of an hour when he heard a knock at the door. Acknowledging the visitor, Kalara came in and shut the door quietly behind her. Blackheart was sitting on a stool, still looking into the mirror as she walked up behind him and put her hands on his bare shoulders, his armor and shirt in a pile on the bed. "How's it going Blackheart?" she asked.

"I… do not know." He replied. He had been focusing on his inner self, as Genn had said, and what he saw now was quite different than what he remembered. It was almost as if two bodies were alive inside him at the same time. The entire concept of it was hard for him to grasp. He had finally boiled it down and thought he knew how it worked. Despite what form he may be in at the current time, he existed as both a worgen and a human. It was not as if it was some kind of extra ability. He did not become a worgen for more power like a warlock might shapeshift, they were not two separate forms. He merely was both a worgen and human at the same time, the difference as negligible as that of having both eyes shut or both eyes open. Like two sides of the same coin, and he merely had to control his body enough to decide which side landed up. It seemed simple enough… but he would see what happened when he put it to the test.

He stood and walked to stand in front of the mirror. Kalara was there beside him, rubbing his back idly. "You should probably stand back." He said. "I'm not… sure what's going to happen when I try this." Blackheart could smell the concern and worry coming from her, but she stepped back and gave him room.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a short while before closing his eyes and focusing on his inner self. He could sense his human side as if it was just under the surface of his skin. He started to focus completely on his human side, on how he would feel and sense things as a human. It was somewhat harder since he didn't actually know what he looked like, but he could feel the sensations in his body shifting. It was gradual at first; he could feel the fur itching to recede into his skin and his gums tingling where his teeth would shorten. That's when the pain hit.

In an instant pain flashed throughout his entire body, as if every nerve sensor was flaring at once, but it was gone as quickly as it came, taking with it all feeling. In an instant he was no longer seeing from his eyes. Instead he was outside his familiar worgen form in a stark white plane… and standing next to it was a human. Recognition slowly came to him: that was his body. Slowly he forced himself to move towards it, and when he touched his human body, the world, all of his memories as a human, and the horrible pain snapped back into place.

Kalara gasped as Blackheart threw his head back and his body convulsed and he grunted in pain. A light colored smoke was slowly forming around him, and she could hear and almost feel the painful sound of bones realigning to fit his human form. He pitched forward suddenly and she could see his claws digging into the flooring of the inn. Soon the shroud of magical smoke inched across his entire body, hiding it from view. It crept over his outstretched claws and lingered a moment when he was finally obscured. It then receded to reveal a human's hand, clawing at the floor. In flash of dim light the smoke vanished entirely, leaving a human, huddled up and still shaking, lying on the floor. He had done it. Blackheart was a human once more.

Blackheart was still trembling as he tried to stand. Having nearly every bone in his body changed around and reformed had left him unsteady and disoriented. The memories now flooding through his head had left his mind muddled. Where exactly was he, and what had he been doing? He tried to stand and stumbled as he got to his feet. Instead of meeting the floor as he expected, however, he was caught by Kalara. She had rushed to his side and was supporting him, her arm around his waist and her shoulder under his. He looked at her as she helped right him. Kalara was there… that's right. She had been with him when had tried to… turn into a human. His cognizance started filtering back to him then. He gripped her shoulder to steady himself and… had her skin always been that soft? She was looking up to him and… he was shorter, still taller than her, but significantly shorter than before. The arm she had wrapped around his waist was warm to the touch of his skin and… he had regular skin now. He looked down to his hand that was gripping her arm. No fur, no claws, all of his fingers. He reached his hand up to feel his face. It had the shape of a humans face. No fur and no fangs. That's when he remembered there was a mirror in front of him.

Standing in the mirror staring back at him was a human that he was starting to remember. For a human he was quite large, seeming to be around seven feet tall. His body was very well defined, but also carried quite a few scars, the most prominent of which were two large scars on his neck. When he reached to touch them he had to fight from flinching when the vision of a worgen leaping and latching onto his neck flashed into his mind. He felt along his face as he looked at it in the mirror. He had a medium width jaw and high cheekbones. His eyes, while they had returned to being a human's eyes, still retained their icy blue coloring. He had jet black hair which ran down to his shoulders, but no facial hair to speak of. He took some time to analyze his own face and… reliable is what came to mind. It was always hard to evaluate one's self but he wasn't too handsome or too ugly… maybe somewhere closer to the handsome spectrum if he wasn't giving himself too much credit. But reliable is what struck… the face of someone that could be trusted. Not a bad quality to have.

"You've looked at yourself enough, my turn." Kalara said before she reached up and gently pulled his face around to look down to her. She took some time in examining him, frowning as she ran her fingers over the scars on his chest and neck. "So many scars…" she whispered as she traced them on his chest and stomach. She gasped as she came to his head though. "Your ear!" she said. Blackheart reached up and felt his left ear and looked in the mirror once more. The top tip of his left ear was missing. Apparently scarring that occurred as a worgen carried over to his human body. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Strange." He said, and that was exactly how he felt. He knew that he was a human now, with a normal human body, but he could still smell and hear things like he was a worgen. From Kalara he could smell the natural scent of her body as well as the scent of concern and happiness. He could still hear things going on all throughout the inn. It was like he was still a worgen, he just happened to be looking like a human. All of this reaffirmed his theory that there were no great differences, and that it was one body at the same time as it was two.

"And what about your memory? Has anything come back to you?" she asked.

"It's there. All of it. Whenever I changed back into a human, all of my memory returned with it… but it's hard to focus on any one thing. Simply put I just don't think my mind can handle a lifetime's worth of memories being dumped on it all at once. There are certain things that I can recall perfectly, such as my mother's name, Angie, but I can't pull anything specific up about her. I have two siblings, and both of them absolutely love mixing molasses and honey on a biscuit for breakfast, but I can't seem to recall their names. I think that with time it will sort itself out."

"Good," she said. She had stopped looking at his scars and was examining his face now. She gave a small smile, almost to the point of giggling. At Blackheart's arched eyebrow, which reminded her very much of how he looked perplexed in worgen form, she said, "I was almost afraid you would be ugly, when quite the opposite is true. What are you going to do now that you're human?" she asked him quietly.

His eyes found hers and slowly he reached up to caress her face. When his hand did touch her face she leaned into it and closed her eyes. Her pale blue skin felt very soft and warm. His worgen form may be great for smelling and hearing, but it had nothing on the almost electric sensation that her skin gave to his human hand. He moved his hand along the side of her cheek, then up and around one of her horns, moving then to stroke her hair and then to trace the tendrils that hung down from behind her ear to her chest. His hand moved up to cup her face and he said, "What am I going to do? Something that I have desired for a long time now…"

Her eyes snapped open as he leaned down, pulled her to him and kissed her. After a short while he ended the kiss and looked down worried and somewhat ashamed, color blooming in his cheeks. "I'm sorry…" he started to apologize, "I shouldn't have…" he was cut off as Kalara grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him back down to her and she kissed him passionately. He was surprised at the act, but that surprise didn't last for long. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and lifted her off the ground and was lost in her kiss.

Neither Blackheart nor Kalara knew how much time they had spent unable to part themselves from one another. It seemed as though they just could not keep their lips apart, no matter how hard they tried… which, consequently, was not very hard at all. However much time had passed, they both could safely say it was time well spent. Blackheart was still holding Kalara in the air, her hooves dangling and her head resting on his shoulder when a knock sounded at the door. He gave her a quick kiss before he set her down. Well… it was meant to be quick. The second knock came more insistently than the first and he lightly set her down and went to answer the door.

He opened the door to find Miakoda standing there. "I was coming to see how it…" she trailed off as she saw him. "I see it went well!" she said cheerfully. "For a human you're not half bad looking." She said, giving him a playful shove that sent him stumbling into Kalara. He was still unaccustomed to the balance, or lack thereof, that his human form had. "Ooo sorry." The tauren said sarcastically. "It's about time you stumbled around with the rest of us ungraceful creatures." Miakoda smirked as she saw that Kalara was holding onto Blackheart for longer than was really necessary to right him, as well as the flush creeping into her face. "Whenever you two have… time," she said, snickering, "meet us in the common room. You both have some…" she seemed to grimace then, "visitors."

When Blackheart turned to face Kalara he could see that her normally pale blue skin was tinged with red from embarrassment. "Oh light she knows about… what about us? What are we?"

Blackheart pulled her to him and kissed the top of her head before saying, "We are us, and we are together, and that's just going to have to be good enough for everyone."

She smiled up at him before hugging him tightly. "That sounds good to me."

* * *

A short while later Kalara and Blackheart, now dressed and presentable, made their way down the stairs of the inn to the common room. Waiting for them they found Miakoda, Relarus, Tyria, and Captain Solia. Their 'visitor's, to Blackheart's annoyance were Fergus and another female draenei he did not recognize. When Kalara saw the two, more specifically the other female draenei, the smell of anger and apprehension that immediately radiated off of her stopped Blackheart in his tracks. It was almost as if she expected an attack. "What is it?" he asked her, looking around the common room suspiciously.

"Of all the forsaken people to show up, it just had to be those two." She said, seething with anger.

"I know Fergus," he said, almost spitting the name out, "but who is the other?"

"Joanna." She said. Blackheart didn't think he had heard a more venomous tone out of her than now. He waited patiently for her to explain further, but no explanation was forthcoming. He laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Be at ease Kalara." He said soothingly. She looked up at him and nodded. He could still sense the anger, but it had lessened significantly.

When they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Miakoda waved the two of them over to the table and the group made room for them. Before any of them even had a chance to comment on Blackheart's new, less furry appearance, Fergus started in. "So where's your worgen guardian at Kalara? Did you finally get rid of him and learn to be sensible?"

Before Blackheart could even respond, Tyria stood up on the bench and stared straight across into Fergus' face. "You shouldn't talk about him that way, especially since he's sitting right here. He's done a lot for all of us, and you need to be nice." She said as if lecturing a child. The entire group was surprised at the small child accosting an adult, though they were coming to expect Tyria to behave strangely mature.

"Hello Fergus." Blackheart said, doing his best to keep his tone civil. The other draenei's face was a mask of disbelief. "I trust you remember our last discussion over your… etiquette?" After a few seconds, Fergus finally closed his mouth and swallowed loudly. It seemed he had nothing left to say.

Blackheart and Fergus weren't the only ones having an confrontation. From the moment Kalara had sat down her posture had been rigid as a stone. The other draenei, Joanna, had appeared to be relaxed, but the smells of her emotions were anything but. She smelled apprehensive and… condescending if it was possible.

"Hello Kalara." She said in a much too smooth voice. It instantly made Blackheart think of a predator lying in wait… and a predator Joanna could easily be. Her face appeared to be one of complete innocence, as though even if you caught her with her hand in the cookie jar it would still be hard to believe it was her. She was also extraordinarily beautiful, having a perfectly proportioned face and all the right curves in all the right places. She was wearing a low cut priest's robe, though how she got away with it being that revealing was beyond him. A saying from the army drifted up to him then. "She's the kind of woman wars are fought over." A new smell had joined those that came from Kalara: jealousy. That was one he couldn't remember coming from her before, and it burned his nose.

"Joanna." Kalara replied curtly. Blackheart didn't like the direction this conversation was heading, and it hadn't even started yet.

"How's the shaman business going? Still playing with rocks and fire?" she said with a smirk. Now Blackheart definitely didn't like this draenei.

"It's going just fine, and the priesthood?" she responded.

"Oh it's wonderful, walking in the light every day. Why just the other day I helped hundreds of orphans by reading them a bed time story after I gave food and blankets to the homeless. Isn't that wonderful? There seems to be enough work needed for someone who walks with the light that I barely have time for anything else," she said. She still spoke in a voice that was entirely too smooth, like butter made out of poison.

"Mhm, that's great Joanna," Kalara said, still short and curt. She was doing her best to control her temper, and her tongue.

"So, when are you going to introduce me to your handsome friend here?" Joanna said, openly eyeing Blackheart up and down. People were going to have to stop with this him looking good business. It was much harder to hide a blush when your face wasn't covered in fur. He got the distinct feeling that he was some a piece of meat to her, and Joanna was a cook, trying to determine the best way to tenderize and roast him. It was… unsettling.

"He's mine, and you can leave him alone!" Kalara said angrily, nearly shouting and drawing looks from others in the common room. She then flushed, embarrassed at how loud and insistent she had been.

"Do you own this man?" The priest asked in a very condescending voice. "Is he your property? Slavery is illegal dear Kalara. Does he not speak for himself?" She looked at Blackheart then and put on a smile that was… seductive was the only word Blackheart could think of, and Blackheart could smell the pheromones that this draenei was putting out. She would be very hard for a normal draenei or human to resist. To his senses though, he knew what the pheromones were meant for, and he did not approve. "What's your name big guy?" she asked, turning to him and leaning forward on her elbows on the table with an excessive amount of… jiggling.

Blackheart's eyes never left Joanna's, much to her disappointment, and he simply replied, "Blackheart."

"Mmm sounds dangerous." She almost purred. "And what's this I hear about her owning you? Surely a man such as yourself wouldn't be owned by any woman."

Blackheart looked to Kalara then, looked to the person he treasured most in this world. Her eyes were slightly cast down, still embarrassed over her outburst. Blackheart reached his hand under the table and took hers to hold. The feeling of his hand covering hers made her look up at him. He smiled at her before turning back to Joanna and saying, "Perhaps not owning like you seem to believe, but I am hers," he said with finality.

"Hmph," Joanna said, as if meaning what a shame. Her body language changed instantly, from seductive to… Blackheart wasn't sure what her body language said now. But he feared this wasn't the last time he would have to deal with the woman. "I suppose I should get to the real purpose of why we are here. Kalara you must know that it was neither Fergus' nor my own choice to come here, but we were given the task by Vindicator Valina and you just do not say no to that woman." Fergus faced grimaced at the mention of the Vindicator's name.

"What task?" Kalara asked.

After a heavy sigh, Joanna's voice sounded as though the words were being drug out of her. "We found your sister."


	15. Chapter 15 News

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 15

News

"What!" Kalara gasped.

"We know where Miyara is, Kalara." Joanna said reluctantly. The smells coming off of her were… mixed. The strangest one among them was the smell of defiance. What had she to be defiant about? This Joanna was a strange character.

"Well where is she? Is she ok? Can I see her?" Kalara demanded.

Joanna frowned, dealing with some sort of internal struggle. She looked to Fergus for help. He nodded and started to speak, keeping a wary eye on Blackheart. "From all accounts she is… fine, but I doubt you can just see her." He was looking even more unhappy than usual. Blackheart knew this was going to be bad.

"What do you mean I can't see her? If she's fine then why can't I go to her?"

Fergus looked back at Joanna, hoping to delegate the rest of this duty back to her. With a heavy sigh, Joanna said, "Look Kalara, she…" she paused for a moment, gathering up her nerves, "in the Twilight Highlands, the Twilight Hammer has been gathering together in a larger force than usual. It looks to be a permanent base of theirs. An Alliance scouting group that found the camp was almost wiped out excepting the couple that made it back. One of them recognized who had attacked them. They said it was Miyara. She's working with the Twilight Hammer now."

The news hit Kalara like a brick. For one of the few times that Blackheart had known her she was completely speechless. The scents coming from her were changing as well. At first it had just been the jealousy slipping away, but when Joanna had finished the account, one smell he hadn't expected was building: pure unadulterated rage. It was small at first, and to him it didn't fit, but soon it was a full on storm of anger that completely drowned out the other scents in the room. He could see some of the worgen in the inn looking around as well, obviously sensing the smell.

In a voice completely void of emotions, Kalara said, "You're sorry." After a short pause, heat came into her voice and it started to rise, gradually ending in a shout. "You're sorry? Now you're sorry? You had damned well better be sorry! This is all your fault! If it weren't for you, this would never have happened!"

Joanna's voice rose in volume as well as pitch as she argued back. "My fault? It's hardly my fault that your sister has turned into a traitor. If anything you should thank for me for telling you."

Kalara's voice went deadly calm then, no longer in a shout but still carrying as much malice as Blackheart had ever heard. "Thank you? You want me to thank you, after all that you've done? Fine then, let me show you my thanks."

Kalara's eyes lit up for second before summoning her shamanistic magic, sending an arc of electricity towards Joanna. Expecting the attack, though perhaps not the intensity, the priest had shielded herself and the electricity wove around it, dissipating in a loud _crack_. Blackheart could see the magical power arcing from Kalara's body, her eyes aglow with electricity, and could smell the anger coming from Kalara. If this didn't stop, someone would end up hurt, or worse. A blast of ice flew from her hands next, ricocheting off the priest's shield and burying into the floor. Joanna's eyes widened as her shield started to shimmer and fade; the next attack would break it altogether. That attack had not only affected Joanna, but it could have hurt someone else. Blackheart decided to end it, before Kalara did something she would regret, and grabbed her wrist.

"Kalara stop!" he said, forcing her to turn around and face him.

"No!" she yelled right back at him. The look in her eyes was completely foreign to him… and it reminded him of when he himself went into a blood rage. As she shoved her hand into his chest, it was like she didn't recognize him at all. When he had grabbed her he had hoped that just his presence and voice could stop her, which left him ill prepared for what actually transpired. What he felt after her hand touched his chest was the sensation of breaking ribs as a force of air hurled him through the room, followed by the unpleasant feeling of glass shattering against his back, tearing into him, as he flew into, and through, the window of the inn. None of that had been a pleasant feeling against his tender human skin, and neither was the tree that stopped his ill bestowed flight. The only good thing right then was the blackness swallowing up his consciousness.

Kalara stared at the shattered window, blood still dripping from the frame and the glass that she had sent Blackheart through. Once the realization of what she had done set in, the power arcing around her snapped off. The knowledge that she had just attacked Blackheart chilled her blood, rooting her to the spot and draining any of the anger she had previously felt away from her. She was still staring at the window when the sentinels rushed into the room, and it was the last thing she saw as one of the guard's blackjacks knocked her unconscious.

* * *

Kalara had come back to her senses and the first though in her head, aside from the pounding headache, was the knowledge of what she had done. She had attacked Blackheart. There was no accident this time; this was no playful zap of electricity to his behind when he wasn't looking or accidental discharge of powers she couldn't control. She had flat out used her magical abilities against him; stabbing him with a dagger would have been no less of an infraction. Secondly the thought that she had attacked Joanna ran through her mind, which she did feel bad about… sort of. Well, she did feel bad about the damage she must have caused to the inn.

Blackheart was what she spent most of her time thinking about though. Boiling it all down she just wanted to cry. It seemed to her that whenever she got something good going it was taken from her. She had spent her entire life putting on a brave face. She had lost so much: her parents and friends in the crash of the Exodar, her sister later on, she had lost some status in society just because she was a shaman instead of something holy, and now maybe she had lost Blackheart. This was different though… she didn't think she could just put on a brave face and move on if he left her, or if she… she couldn't even bring herself to think about the fact she might have killed him. She spent much of the next few minutes convincing herself he was much tougher than normal while fighting, and failing, to hold back her tears.

When she finally pulled herself together she took stock of where she was. She had been lain out on a rough bed in a dark cell. She couldn't see much and tried to call forth some flames to light up the area… but nothing happened. She tried the other elements as well and got the same result. They must have put her in some kind of anti magic cell like they had in Azure Watch. Irritated as she was, she couldn't really blame them for it. There was a faint light coming from a slit along the floor, which must have been where the door was. Getting off the bed she crawled her way over to the door and called out to see if anyone was there. She got no answer though, and expected none. Crawling back over to her bed she laid down, wishing she knew that Blackheart was ok.

* * *

Blackheart was at his family home, near Dustwallow Marsh, introducing Kalara to his mother and his siblings. His family had been overjoyed when he had returned. His brother Wayne and sister Jonie, now both slowly coming into adulthood had pestered him for stories, at least once they could stop marveling over Kalara. That had been an entire experience in itself, with his mother being startled at first and then rushing off to prepare her best meal, his sister purely amazed by Kalara, and his brother giving him knowing winks which, in Blackheart's opinion, even at sixteen he still should be too young for. It felt strange answering to Kaleth again, and it took a long time to explain how he had earned the name Blackheart and ended up finally back at his family's home.

His mother had just brought in her locally famous roaster boar ribs to eat when Blackheart smelled something… unsettling coming from outside. His family looked at him questioningly when he got up and left to investigate. Once outside he could see that something was wrong with the world. The sky had a red haze to it, and a presence was there trying to take him away from his family and Kalara. When he turned around, Kalara was there but… something was wrong with her. She was floating above the ground and had grown in size, and her eyes were solid red. She seemed to be yelling at him for something he couldn't understand. She raised her hand, summoning a boulder out of the earth and sent it hurtling at Blackheart. When it struck him, he jolted awake coming face to face with Joanna.

He recoiled and almost swooned from the pain in his chest and back, instantly recalling the pain of being attacked by Kalara. Joanna placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down, holding him in place. His shirt was gone, like because of the damage done to it, and he had bandages woven around his chest. "I'm trying to heal you, don't move," the priest said. He could smell her weaving the healing waves. Her healing magic smelled… sterile… white if he had to put a color to it, but emotionless almost. Very boring compared to shaman's magic. It also felt different, instead of a gentle brook washing away his wounds, it was more like laying in a hospital and something was merely pulling his bones into place and his skin back together.

Joanna had placed her hands on his chest; they were glowing with holy power as she finished up the healing. Once everything was finished she let her hands rest on his chest for a while too long. Blackheart reached up and removed them, leaning forward slowly. "You're in no condition to go anywhere, handsome," Joanna said, eying him and his now bare chest.

"Where's Kalara?" he asked, trying to stand but falling back to the bed. Odd… holy healing seemed to draw out his physical exhaustion where as Kalara's healing had always just made him hungry. Thinking of Kalara brought back the memory of what had happened. He still didn't fully understand himself why she had attacked him. There were times she had hurt him, but it had been by accident and never terribly serious. This time though… she could have killed him. He had already been brought back from the dead once, and he didn't think his luck would hold for a second trip. The thing that bothered him most was the look in her eyes when she had attacked him. It was a look of pure rage; a look that showed she did not know who he was and that anything getting between her and hurting Joanna was something to be destroyed. He knew that look well… knew that when he lost control it didn't matter what or who was standing in your way, you just needed to break things. Just what had this woman done that could provoke her so?

"Oh her?" Joanna said with clear disdain. "She's in a dungeon for assault, two counts I might add, and destruction of property."

"A dungeon?" Blackheart said quietly. Something had to be done about that. "I must see her."

"I don't think so," she said with a wicked smile. "You're going to stay right here and let me take care of you."

His strength was returning. Slowly… but it was coming back to him. "I doubt there is anything you can do to stop me. Now please, stand aside." He had recognized where he was now: his room at the inn. Miakoda must have carried him upstairs to be healed... but how had Joanna gotten her out of the room? He tested his feet, standing without any swaying this time and walked towards the door when she stepped in front of him to block his way. He sighed as he said, "I thank you for healing me, but would you please step aside?"

"What is it that you see in her? She just tried to kill both of us, and yet it seems you follow her like a lost puppy. She's got you twisted around her ugly finger doesn't she?" Joanna said in a huff, not budging from in front of the door.

"She has done more for me than you could possibly understand. She was the first real friend I had since changing, and I don't recall any good ones before that either. She has saved my life as many times as I have saved hers… she has even brought me back from the dead." Joanna's eyebrows rose at that last statement. "And above all else, she accepted me just as I was and always has. She is bound to me just as I am bound to her. I owe her my life and… more."

Joanna considered him for a moment before asking, "Change? What change?" Before giving him time to answer though, a wicked smile crossed her face. "I think you should stay and talk with me a while longer. If she really was bound to you and you had saved her life, she should properly show it, not throw you out a window for saving me. Which, I want to thank you for that. If you'll stay a while I'll show you some... proper gratitude." Her eyes changed after the last statement. Blackheart couldn't put his finger on what, exactly, had changed but their presence just seemed... different. More intense.

He began to wonder if she was slightly daft. How many times did he have to tell her no before she got the message? He moved to go around her and into the corridor… but his legs wouldn't move. Neither would his arms; he was standing perfectly still and couldn't move a muscle. That was when he noticed the smell. It was the smell of magic, but unlike anything he had encountered before. It was almost as if it had no scent at all, like a faint whisper of wind but at the same time it was overwhelming to him, like being caught in a tornado. He could almost feel the magic, slowly working its way into his brain. She was trying to control his mind.

As he struggled against the haze consuming him, Joanna stepped forward, putting a finger on his chest and walking in a circle around him, tracing some of his scars. "Yes, I think you'll stay here for a while with me." Her voice seemed to echo endlessly in his head. "Now, be a good boy and lay down for me."

Inside his head the words she spoke bounced around, repeating themselves endlessly. Blackheart's body trembled as he fought against her control. He could feel himself breaking out in a sweat; all of his muscles seemed to be aching, trying to do as she said while he tried to stop them, but the exhaustion he felt from the healing had weakened him. She was in front of him then, slowly pushing against his chest as if to reaffirm her will. To his agony, he started to slowly move back towards the bed. He was trapped in his mind, screaming defiance against Joanna while his body laid down of its own will. His muscles had quit aching, they were no longer responding to him in any way. The only thing he had left was his mind, and he could feel his grasp on reality slowly slipping away.

"That's much better." Joann said, nearly purring. She traced a slender finger along his chest before she bent over him and kissed his lips, and his mind screamed for a way out. This was only the second different kiss he had received, and it was vastly different than Kalara's. Kalara's kiss was one of passion, one that held him with his feelings for her. This kiss was that of a spider who had caught its prey. As consciousness seemed to be waning he saw himself... his two selves, and his answer to this situation.

It was almost the same thing he seen when he had transformed into a human: two bodies, both of them his, standing side by side. But something was different; something was wrong with the human body. It was hazy and partly transparent, as if it was just made of mist. His worgen body was different too, but it looked angry and he recognized the red haze of rage in its eyes. He didn't have much time though; the world around his inner self was becoming dim. He must have been on the verge of completely losing control of his mind. He slowly, painstakingly moved towards his snarling worgen form, embracing it and hoping it was a way out of this hell. When he touched his worgen form, what was left of his inner self was drowned out in red, and his consciousness finally winked out.

After he embraced his worgen, he expected the instant flash of pain as his body reconfigured itself to match the desired form, but the sense of sudden movement and rage was new to him. He couldn't see anything, but he could smell someone's fear, the kind of complete and absolute terror that came from expecting to die, and he felt his body move on its own. As his consciousness faded back in, he heard sobbing and when he regained his sight he finally understood why.

He was standing in front of Joanna, one of his hands closed over her throat and holding her against the wall high enough that they were face to face and her feet were dangling in the air, kicking futilely. His teeth were bared and he was snarling, inches from her face. He could smell the terror coming off of her and see the fear and tears in her eyes. It was a struggle to regain control. His every instinct told him to tear out her throat; to kill her for taking control of his mind, for trying to force herself upon him, and for whatever it was she had done to hurt Kalara. Slowly, he regained control and loosened his grip. She fell, gasping, to the floor, sobs wracking her body. When she looked up and saw Blackheart looming over her, the red tint still visible in his eyes, she pushed herself against the wall and held her hand out, as if that would stop him had he wanted to hurt her further.

In a quiet voice that was now deep and husky, Blackheart said, "This is who I am. This is what Kalara has accepted, and this is what she risked her soul to save. Right now I'm going to go see her, and you're coming with me." Blackheart stood and hoisted Joanna none too gently onto her feet with a squeak. He bent close to her face, and gently forced her to look into his eyes when she tried to turn away. "You are going to explain that you do not want her charged for anything… unless you would also like to explain to the guards why you tried to mind control me. I doubt anyone in the priesthood would like that very much either." He let her go and she turned away from him, trying to look anywhere except at the worgen towering over her. "Are we clear on this?" he said in a low growl.

Joanna could only nod, tears still streaming down her face.

* * *

Kalara was almost asleep when a noise woke her. Someone was coming down the hallway. After a few seconds the steps stopped in front of her door and, following the clank of the lock, the door opened silhouetting two night elves in the doorway.

"Come here." One of the night elves said in a commanding tone. Kalara jumped to obey, coming to stand before the two guards. They firmly pulled her out of the cell and turned her to face up the hallway. She felt a distinct twinge in her body as she passed through the anti magic barrier, and she could sense the elements again. That was at least one small relief. "Walk." One of them said, and walk she did.

Why was she being pulled out of the cell? Where was she going? She didn't know the answer to these questions, and the guards were not very forthcoming to either of them. At the end of the tunnel a set of stairs led up to an office with a few night elves milling about. It took her a second before she found Blackheart, once again human, standing there waiting for her. She stopped in her tracks when she recognized him, and her night elf guards had to push her forward. Her cheeks colored in shame at what she had done to him. She could see he wore a new shirt; his old one had been ripped to shreds. The two guards directed her towards him. The one that had spoken faced Blackheart and said, "Here she is. Keep her out of trouble," before turning back into the dungeon.

Blackheart looked down at her for a while, or she thought he was, she still couldn't look him in the eye. He led the way out into the night; it must have been a few hours since their ordeal at the inn. She walked a few paces behind him, and soon realized he was heading for the inn. As they got close she could see the damage she had caused being patched up. There were a couple workers covering the window with boards until a new window could be installed. Glass and splintered boards still lay all over the ground outside and below the window. When she looked past the window she almost tripped; there was a large bloodstain on the tree, as well as a streak going down it to the ground. That was Blackheart's blood and she had caused it. Her knees almost gave out then as she looked at Blackheart's back. She couldn't read anything of his emotions, he just walked on, through the inn and finally up to his room. All of the patrons, especially the innkeeper, eyed her warily but said nothing. Once she was inside his room, he closed the door behind her and sat down on the bed, steepling his fingers together and resting his arms on his knees. She could see the blood soaked shirt lying in the floor and had to lean against the wall for support.

Blackheart looked up at her and said in a flat voice, "You need to be sure and thank Relarus, Miakoda, and Tyria for paying for the damages. I'm not sure where Tyria came up with as much money as she has, but the child paid for the majority of it. As for getting you out of the dungeon without a trial, that was more… complicated." Blackheart could smell the shame rolling off of her. "I had a little... chat with Joanna that got her to drop her charges, finally, but convincing the guards not to hold you because I didn't want to hold charges was another matter entirely." Aside from a flare up of jealousy at the mention of Joanna, the shame continued to roll off of her.

Blackheart got up from the bed and walked to stand in front of her. Kalara was doing her best to avoid looking him in the eyes when he gently took her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. "Why did you attack me?"

That was a question she didn't have an answer to. When it had happened, she had just reacted. She was so mad at Joanna that anything between her and the other draenei was something to be thrown to the side, or out a window, as the case may be. She kept staring up into his eyes, even as the tears formed but she couldn't find any words for an answer.

He still held her gaze as he said, "Do you know what the scariest part of being a worgen was?" Kalara shook her head slightly. "Feeling like I was living on borrowed time; feeling like that at any time I might lose control of myself to what I had become. The reason for that fear was that I might hurt someone close to me without being able to control myself… mainly you. It was a huge relief when I was able to turn into a human because, while I'm still a worgen as well, as a human I don't run that risk. I didn't think there was one for draenei either, but after tonight I'm not so sure. Whatever it is between you and Joanna that caused your reaction, you're going to have to learn to control it. As much as I hate to say it, if not for Joanna I would be in much worse shape than I am now. She's the one who healed me." Once again the jealousy and anger flared up. Making a point of sniffing the air beside her, Kalara knew of his ability to smell emotions, Blackheart said, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. You're going to have to learn to control that or the next time you might… kill me."

The tears flowed in earnest now. She had been so worried that she had actually killed him earlier, and now it was something that he was obviously worrying about. If there was a more horrible feeling than the one you cared for worrying if you would end up killing them, she didn't know. She could no longer look up at him, and broke out of his grasp as she cried, sliding down the wall to sit in the floor as she tried futilely to wipe her tears away. "I'm sorry," she whimpered out, repeating it time and again. There was no way for her to tell him how sorry she was that she had intentionally hurt him.

If there was one thing Blackheart couldn't stand, it was to see Kalara hurt, and seeing her cry like this tore him apart. He gently reached down and picked her up, hugging her to his chest as he went to the bed and sat down with her in his lap. She kept muttering over and over again that she was sorry. He shushed her, saying, "I don't want you to be sorry anymore." She looked up at him finally and he wiped the tears off of her cheeks. "Just try not to break so many ribs next time," he said with a smile. He could see the tears starting to well up again, and she would have cried all over again except that he bent down and kissed her lips. If that didn't stop her crying, nothing would.

To say Kalara was surprised was an understatement. She had been worried that Blackheart wouldn't want anything to do with her, and now here he was kissing her. She wasn't sure where this boon of luck had come from, giving her someone she could almost kill and still forgive her, but she wasn't about to question it… and besides kissing was much more enjoyable than wallowing in misery. So kiss him she did.

She remained in his lap for some time, but soon stood and pushed him down onto the bed slowly and climbed on top of him. She returned to those wonderful lips of his. Something in the back of her head said she was being too forward; that this was perhaps less than proper. When Blackheart's arms wrapped around her, enclosing her body and pulling her even closer to him, those thoughts were washed away. She trusted Blackheart more than anyone else, and she had no fear he would betray that trust.

For Blackheart, the sense of being so close to her was overpowering. Somehow every one of his senses was overwhelmed. His sense of smell was drowned in her scent, not only the natural scent of her skin but that of the pheromones she was producing. It seemed almost as if they were screaming his name. Her skin was soft to the touch of his hands, and her lips felt like they sent electricity through his body. Her kiss tasted amazing, more delicious than anything he could imagine. When he occasionally opened his eyes he saw her in a slightly different way than he had previously: she was absolutely beautiful. There was nothing in his mind that came close to what he saw before him. He thought he could have just stared at her for hours.

* * *

A substantial amount of time later, Kalara lay on his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles and old scars as she felt them. Somewhere in the process of kissing his lips she had gotten the urge to kiss his chest too. Blackheart must have gotten the same urge, and a slight flush came to her cheeks when she thought about his hands tracing random shapes on her bare back. The moonlit room should have hidden her blushing cheeks, but with Blackheart she doubted he would have a problem seeing in the pitch black. Another thought that made her blush fiercer was just how... amazing it was to lay with her bare skin touching his. The warmth they shared was the most comforting thing she had ever felt.

She was just trying to figure out how to get up gracefully when Blackheart, as if reading her mind, quietly said, "Stay with me tonight." If she wasn't blushing bright red before she definitely was now. She had slept near Blackheart before, but that had been out of necessity. But to stay with him when she had her own room was… well it wasn't proper. They weren't married, and she wasn't some sort of cheap harlot, even if she had known Blackheart for a while. Just the though of her staying with him... well it was pretty much exactly what she wanted to do.

As much of her as she was sure he had seen, she was still embarrassed now that their passion had slowed somewhat. "Close your eyes," she whispered. He laughed, a soft and deep chuckle, and kissed her forehead, but did as he was told while she climbed under the covers next to him. She was facing away from him when she felt him do the same and let out a satisfied sigh as he snuggled up behind her and wrapped one of his large arms around her.

"Tomorrow morning I'm going to show you the sunrise," he said softly to her.

"I know what the sunrise looks like," she said, suddenly drowsy.

"You've never truly seen it," he responded, "just as you had never truly smelled herbs." She turned her face to meet his and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Just trust me," he said before kissing her and laying his head down.

She did trust him, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would experience something new that sunrise. One thought kept nagging at her though. What was she to do about her sister? She now knew where she was… but she was with the enemy now. How could that be? The only course of action that seemed before her was to go and see for herself… which meant dragging Blackheart with her into more danger. She did not want to risk any danger for him, but she knew he didn't need to be coddled and could readily take care of himself. If there was any one person she wanted with her always it was Blackheart. That was a thought that comforted her against the sadness the news of her sister brought her.

She was trying to decide what to do next, where to go from there and how to go about getting all the way to Twilight Highlands but… Blackheart was just so warm. She could feel the heat radiating off of his chest and into her back, warming her to drowsiness and his arm that was wrapped around her kept her stomach and chest warm. Soon, the only thing she could think about was how comfortable she was, and the last thing she remembered before drifting off to sleep was hearing Blackheart's rhythmic breathing next to her.


	16. Chapter 16 Sunrise

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. Life has been very busy. More updates to come!

* * *

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 16

Sunrise

Long before the sun had risen, Blackheart awoke from pleasant dreams of Kalara. He was pleased to find her still lying next to him. She was still backed up against him, using his body heat to keep warm. He had been scared that the previous night had been a dream, and was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't when he had woken up. Her dark hair was in disarray, cascading around her shoulders and the pillows. For a long while he just watched her sleep, her steady breathing lulling him to where he was nodding off again; the silence in the room and in Darnassus was so deep he could hear the steady drumming of her heart. He got out of the bed slowly and watched with a smile as Kalara rolled over into the warm spot he had left behind, mumbling something in her sleep.

Though in his human form, Blackheart was pleased that he had retained the senses of a worgen. When he had first shifted over he had been afraid of losing his senses. He had come to depend upon them, not only for his protection, but to interact with the world. A smile creased his face when he thought about how his senses had proven most… advantageous the night before when the lights had been out. He found the clothes that had been discarded and dressed himself, then went to Kalara. He gently shook her, whispering her name. She grumbled something unintelligible and sat up, holding the sheet close to her. Blackheart sat with his back to her and handed her the shirt she had worn last night. He heard her getting dressed before her arms wrapped around his shoulders and she leaned on him, resting her head against his. She mumbled something that may have been good morning, but it was still too unintelligible to understand.

He turned his head and looked into her faintly glowing still sleepy eyes. "Good morning dear." He said.

"Mmm" she mumbled. "I don't know that mornings are ever good," she said, stifling a yawn.

"Hah, mornings are the best times. Morning breathes new life into things, and the world comes awake in the morning."

"Whatever you say, nature boy." She swung her legs out over the bed and attempted to stand, then fell back down onto the mattress. Looking over at Blackheart, she gave her best begging impression, opening her eyes wide and pooching out her lip, adopting a pouty look. "Carry me?" She asked.

Blackheart laughed quietly at her, then louder when she dropped the begging face and put on a slight scowl. "Puppy eyes may work for some, but not on those of us that are part dog ourselves. I will, however, carry you from the sheer enjoyment of having you near to me... you never need to beg me for anything." That definitely made her happy.

They emerged from the portal to Rut'theran Village a short while later. Kalara was holding onto Blackheart's back, her legs wrapped around his waist riding piggy back. On the way to the portal out of Darnassus they had garnered a few strange looks, but it was before sunrise so mainly only guards were up and about. Blackheart found that he could handle looks that were amused and considered him strange better than those he was used to getting. Even if those around him thought him odd, the looks they gave were not nearly as bad as the hateful and mistrusting ones he was used to. If people wanted to look at him funny for carrying Kalara around, that was fine. At least he didn't have to worry about them trying to stick a sword in his back.

Blackheart picked his way down to the eastern edge of the shore, carefully setting Kalara down in the sand. She shivered a little bit in the morning breeze, and was still bleary eyed, but when she turned to him he saw that she was ready to pay attention.

"So what is so special about sunrise that you have to show me?" She asked, looking up at him skeptically.

Smiling he reached out to caress her face, and then slowly he forced her to close her eyes. "Do you remember when I showed you how to smell out the herbs in the forest?"

"How could I forget, you had me stumbling around blindfolded in a forest for a half hour." She said, more amusement than annoyance in her voice.

"It is a lot like that. Until now if you've seen a sunrise you were only using your eyes. But that is merely looking at a sunrise. You haven't seen it yet." He said.

"But… aren't looking at something and seeing something the exact same thing?" She asked.

"No, not at all." He said, thinking of the perfect example. He let his mind sink into himself then.

She opened her eyes and stared at him, arching an eyebrow incredulously and was only slightly startled when she looked into the solid blue eyes of a worgen. In his deep voice, made more husky by his form, Blackheart asked, "What do I look like?"

"A furball that wakes up too early?" She said, smiling at him. "Fine, you look like a worgen... you look like my worgen"

Blackheart moved closer, his face very close to hers. She could feel the warm air of his breathing on her face as he asked, "And what do you _see_ when you look at me?"

"I see…" she paused for a moment, considering the word Blackheart had stressed. Thinking about it she realized she saw more than a worgen standing in front of her. She did see Blackheart's form, but she saw more than that. Behind his furry face, she could see and sense Blackheart's human side. She could smell him, she realized, and somehow she knew that the scent belonged to him as much as his appearance did. He smelled faintly of the earth, like he had been sleeping on the ground for a very long time. She couldn't understand why she associated that with him, but it was a smell that comforted her; he smelled durable and steadfast, and she felt like he would always be there to catch her if she fell. Last, but most importantly of all, she felt him. She felt his presence in her heart, almost as if he occupied a place in her chest as readily as the heart that beat life into her and without him she would only be partially there. She wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she knew that's how she felt. She quirked her mouth in a smile, saying, "I think I understand now."

In a flash of light that left purple spots in her eyes, he was a human again. "Good. That is how I want you to think about the sunrise. That is how I want you to think about the herbs as you go and find them. That is how you should think about all things. You would be amazed at what you might see when you look with more than your eyes."

Blinking away the spots, she turned to face the east. "Warn me next time, will ya? That's really bright." Blackheart moved behind her and she knew he was pleased with her. Somehow… maybe she just felt in tune with him or 'smelled his mood' like he claimed he could do, but she knew that's how he felt, regardless. Perhaps there was more to this seeing over looking thing than she thought.

Blackheart put his now human hands on Kalara's shoulders and gently started massaging. "Close your eyes. I want you to feel the sunrise before you look at it; that will help you see it when you do look at it. Remember to listen, to smell, and to feel. It's almost here."

Kalara did as he said and closed her eyes. It was hard to concentrate with him massaging her shoulders as it brought up memories of the previous night, but she eventually let that slip away. She fell more into focus with her surroundings. At first she couldn't sense anything but Blackheart's hands on her. Slowly she came to hear his quiet breathing behind her. There was nothing after that for a short while, and she was growing impatient when she felt a small twinge, as if something was tapping at the edges of her senses. Then she heard something, so quiet that she wasn't sure if she was just hearing things or not. She soon came to realize it was the quiet rustle of grass; the creaking of the giant tree that they were standing near. She could smell the grass lightly and the salt in the air from the ocean so nearby. When the sun finally broke the rim of the horizon, she gasped at the change the sun brought about the land. The smells all around her intensified in a sudden, brief flash: it was like she had her face in the grass, and right up against the great tree and deep in the ocean all at the same time. Other smells and sounds found their way to her too, squirrels that were nesting in a small tree and some birds that were coming out of their nests to face the day. She felt the changes, deep within her core. It was almost as if she could feel the leaves rustling, ready to eat up the sunlight and grow. Her shaman senses came alive even further. She could feel the air growing to life, the sun heating it and she could feel the earth come alive under her as the roots of the growing things woke up. When she finally opened her eyes, it was almost as if she could see the changes happening before her eyes. It was, put simply, the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Blackheart and Kalara watched the sunrise quietly, neither one wanting to break the spell that they were both under. When the sun had finally peaked all the way over the horizon, things seamed to just naturally shift back down to normal. It was rather sad, losing touch and feeling with all of the living and elemental things around her. She slowly turned to see Blackheart looking at her, a content look on his face.

"That was… amazing." She said.

"Now do you understand what I mean by seeing the sunrise? Now do you understand why, every day since becoming a worgen, if it was possible I would watch it?" He said quietly.

"You've watched the sunrise every morning?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"All but a handful, and it is different each day and in each place. Everyone is as beautiful as the last."

"Wow," she said quietly. She decided then that she would come out with Blackheart every morning from then on out to watch it. She stepped in and hugged him, saying, "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Blackheart was silent a while as he returned her hug. Kalara looked up to see Blackheart staring down at her. "What?" She asked.

"It is second most for me." He said.

A confused look crossed her face then. "What would the first be? That sunrise was so beautiful I'm still trying to figure it out; I'm still in awe of what I saw and will be for the rest of the day I imagine."

He smiled, looking intently at her. "The sunrise was beautiful, as was yesterdays, as tomorrows will be. But remember what I said about seeing. The most beautiful thing I have seen isn't the sunrise. It's you."

* * *

They returned to the inn later that morning, garnering curious looks from their comrades as they came through the front door rather than the stairs where they had shared a room. After explaining about watching the sunrise, and once Miakoda was finished snickering and pestering the couple, they had their breakfast. During the course of the meal they discussed what their immediate plans were.

"So," Miakoda spoke first, "what's the plan from here?"

Relarus answered first. "I'm going to go back to the Cenarion Circle and see what use I might be. After Deathwing has risen, I'm sure my fellow druids could use all of the extra help they can get."

Miakoda nodded, then looked at Blackheart and Kalara. "What about you two?"

Quietly, Kalara said, "I need to find my sister." She looked to Blackheart then. "You don't have to come, you know. It's gonna be pretty dangerous."

Blackheart smirked and wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders. "I am going to go with her to keep her out of trouble."

Miakoda snorted, trying to stifle a laugh. "Keep _her_ out of trouble? You seem to draw trouble to you. I mean seriously, you were in the inn for what, five hours before Kalara threw you out a window? Then the first time I ride a boat is with you and what happens? Big bloody dragon of doom comes and hurls us onto the land. You just have to be there to keep her safe from whatever trouble you rile up."

Blackheart smiled, replying, "Perhaps you are right. I have been giving it some thought since we learned about Miyara yesterday. I figured we might go down through Kalimdor to Dustwallow Marsh and then from Theramore on to Menethil, then over to Twilight Highlands to find Miyara."

Miakoda nodded, and Relarus asked, "Wouldn't it be easier to just take the boat from here over to Stormwind and maybe catch a gryphon ride to the Highlands?"

"True, that would be less walking, but there are two reasons for going through Kalimdor." Blackheart said, holding up two fingers and ticking them down as he explained. "One is to get Miakoda back to Thunder Bluff." The tauren nodded appreciatively. "And two is for a more personal reason. I… want to try to find my family. The last I remember they lived on the edges of the Marsh and I want to see if they are still there and if they are alright."

"So your memory has returned fully?" Relarus asked in between bites of breakfast.

"It's all there, but I have to slowly examine it and take it apart. I've had a lifetime's worth of memories thrust upon me, so it will take some time. It's like someone has taken a picture that you knew and made it into a thousand piece puzzle and dumped it on you."

Relarus nodded. "That sounds about right. When we help a feral druid return to normal they are generally ok within a few hours… but they have the advantage of having the facilities to house thousands of years of memories."

Miakoda spoke up then. "I appreciate the thought of helping me to get back home, but are you sure it's smart to go wandering through Kalimdor? It's Horde territory most of the way you know."

"I have given that some thought as well. I'm sure that Kalara could go as a member of the Earthen Ring, and I along with her as her guardian. The Horde does respect the neutrality of the Earthen Ring, do they not?"

Miakoda rubbed her chin in a pensive gesture. "I suppose so, at least they should. Since Thrall is a member and Muln Earthfury, a tauren, is the leader I suspect it will be fine. Let us hope though that there are few blood elves and forsaken. They tend to 'forget' neutrality."

"Kalara and I have had… dealings with blood elves before. But with all three of us I'm sure we'll be fine."

"True enough." Miakoda nodded. "I will go prepare to leave then, unless you would like to wait longer?"

"I have nothing here tying me down." Blackheart said. He smiled then, saying, "I would like to say goodbye to Tyria though."

"Me too!" Kalara said. "I also want to write a letter to Master Tuluun, just so he knows that I'm alright and where I'm going."

"Well, I suppose we should meet at the Temple of the Moon in a few hours then." Blackheart said before standing to go. "Agreed?"

"Agreed."

* * *

Blackheart took the time until their meeting to wander around Darnassus. He had always heard of the fabled city of the night elves, but he had never thought it would be quite as mystical as it was. For all the beauty of the city though, he was never comfortable with it. It smelled old… older than anything his imagination could conjure. But it was stale… with the exception of the new worgen families, it seemed like the growth of the city was stagnant. It unnerved him to see such a large amount of nature that no longer felt as if it was growing.

When he finally arrived at the Temple of the Moon he was still early. He walked up the stone steps and as he entered the temple he was drawn to the large pool in the center. The soft sounds of water trickling down were calming to him. In the center of the pool was a large night elf statue, holding up a bowl to catch water, and it was over flowing down to the base of the pool. Blackheart closed his eyes and let the soft trickling soothe him.

He heard the steps approaching him long before the voice of Tyrande spoke to him. "An homage to Elune, our goddess, protector of all living things. She is the strongest Eternal in all of Azeroth, and yet in spite of, or maybe because of this, she does not interfere with our world often. Deathwing would be swiftly removed if she interfered… but as it is we are left to defend this world all night elves worship Elune… those that are not evil anyway. Do you worship a deity?"

Blackheart had never been one for religion. It seemed a strange concept to him. Most religions seemed to be very contradictive of themselves. They saved lives and caused wars, gave out hope and condemnation in equal shares. There was, however, one deity who he felt had touched upon his soul, allowing him to reclaim his memories and his humanity. If any were deserving of his praise, it would be him.

"Goldrinn I suppose, though worship is really too strong of a word. I suppose it's more an immense thanks and respect to his spirit. I feel that he helped break the curse of the worgen somehow."

Tyrande smiled as she sat down on one edge of the pool, making faint ripples with her finger that were counter to the ones created by the fall of water. "Goldrinn is a worthy choice, and I think he believes you to be a worthy disciple. You are, after all, the only worgen I've heard of to retain your humanity without outside help. Perhaps he has chosen you for a greater purpose you do not yet know? In time you may come to grant him more than just… respect. I understand that you are to travel to the Twilight Highlands."

"Yes, Kalara's sister is there and we've been told some… unsettling things about her."

"I had heard as much." Tyrande walked to stand in front of him. "What you two will be facing will be most dangerous. I have… seen… that you are the only one that can protect Kalara from her sister. Whatever happens, you must protect Kalara." At Blackheart's questioning look she merely said, "Just trust me."

"Hearty!" the worgen heard from behind him, and turned to see Tyria bounding up to him, running to hug him as he bent down on a knee. She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed for all she was worth. "Are you leaving today?" she asked, a touch of sadness in her voice.

"I am. Me and Kalara have to go find her big sister and save her."

The small night elf adopted a considering look and shortly thereafter said, "Well, I suppose that's a good enough reason to go." She took Blackheart's face in her hands and gave him one of her serious, soul searching looks. "You better take care of Lara, ok? If not I will be very angry."

Blackheart had ceased to be amazed by the strangeness of Tyria's actions and words. He took just as serious a look on his face and put his hands on her diminutive shoulders. "I promise I will do everything I can to keep her safe. I definitely do not want you mad at me."

Tyria smiled. "Good! Oh, and you have to come back to see me too. I'm training to be a priestess, and you better be there when they accept me… but only after you keep Lara safe, ok?"

Blackheart nodded, and she hugged him again before going over to Tyrande's side. Kalara and Miakoda joined them then. Tyria bounded up Kalara and gave her a hug and forced her to make the same promise of returning to visit. Tyria even hugged Miakoda before she returned to stand with Tyrande. After their goodbyes, the three of them turned to head for the port when Tyrande spoke up one last time.

"Blackheart, Kalara, a moment if you please." Tyrande said, beckoning the two over to her. Before either had the time to ask her what she needed she pressed her palms to both of their foreheads at the same time. Warmth shot through their bodies, and both had a vision a brightly glowing humanoid that looked vaguely like a night elf. Just as quickly as the vision came, it faded. "Elune be with you." Tyrande said before turning around and heading up the stairs of the temple.

Blackheart looked at Kalara, his look of confusion mirrored on her face.

"Did you…"

"Yeah."

"And you felt…"

"Yep."

"With the…"

"Yes sir."

Blackheart shook his head as they reached Miakoda. "What was that all about?" The Tauren asked.

"Let's just say that Tyrande blessed us." Kalara said with a smile. Miakoda just shook her head and sighed.

After gathering their things from the inn, the group reached the docks and found Captain Solia waiting on them and talking to Relarus, who held a few packages in his arms. "Come to see us off have you?" Kalara asked.

Captain Solida smirked. "Partly. Relarus has come to bid you all farewell and to give you some gifts. I, on the other hand, am the proud captain of a new ship." She puffed up a bit then, adopting a look and pose of self importance. "Because of my assistance to the people of Lor'danel and part in saving Tyria I have been given the task of transporting people and cargo between Darnassus and… well wherever they need to go." She finished with a flourish and smile.

"That's great!" Kalara said, clapping her hands.

Relarus stepped forward then and handed a package to each of the three of them then. "I have… acquired some tabards for you. Blackheart and Kalara will have one showing they represent the Earthen Ring, and Miakoda has one for the Cenarion Circle. With these you should be able to pass through to your destinations with little trouble… hopefully. However, with the state the world is in right now, I expect there to be trouble for everyone, regardless of their race or creed."

Unwrapping his package, Blackheart let the tabard unfurl. It was a deep brown cloak, and the design in the middle of the chest seemed to be a ring made of rocks. He slipped it on over his now worn armor and found that it fit. He looked to see Kalara and Miakoda equip their tabards as well. "Thank you very much, Relarus," the worgen said. "These will be most helpful."

Captain Solia nodded her agreement. "Those will hopefully get you anywhere you need to go without a fight... however you three need to be careful. Once you get off the landing at Lor'danel, you best keep your wits about you. Not that Blackheart's senses aren't sharp, but it's best to be wary anyway."

Waving goodbye to Relarus and thanking him one last time for the tabards, the three companions followed the captain onto the boat. Miakoda didn't have to be drug on like the last time she had made a seafaring passage, but she still eyed the craft like it might bite her. Blackheat and Kalara stowed their things in the small cabin they all shared, and then went to the prow of the boat as it was loaded with the other cargo and passengers heading for Lor'danel.

With all passengers and cargo stowed aboard, the ship set sail for Lor'danel. Kalara and Blackheart stood side by side close to the prow, watching the ship pick up speed and cut into the ocean, kicking up a spray of salty water. Kalara shivered as the spray and wind gave her a slight chill, and Blackheart moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her for warmth. She leaned back against him, thanking her lucky stars once more that he was there, and that they would be able to face what was coming, together.


	17. Chapter 17 Kalimdor

A/N - Sorry for the short chapter and the super long wait. I've had some massive writer's block here lately. I'm still working on it though!

* * *

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 17

Kalimdor

This boat ride to the group's, and especially Miakoda's, relief was completely uneventful. The ship arrived in Lor'danel shortly after sunset. Blackheart, Kalara, and Miakoda departed the ship, carefully walking along the darkened gangplank. The only light on the clouded night came from some of the magical lamps that hung along the pier. The cargo, they had learned from Captain Solia, would be unloaded the next day. It was too risky to move all of the heavy cargo when there was insufficient light, at least if there was no pressing need to. Thankfully, for tonight at least, the group wasn't under attack. They weren't running from a horde of blood elves or demons, they weren't praying to be spared from a dragon. They were just passengers getting off an uneventful boat ride and looking for a place to sleep.

Though it was late when they arrived at the inn they had stayed at during the building of the port town, the inn keeper brightened visibly when he opened the door to see Blackheart's group. A short explanation about his transformation later, he happily led the way to their rooms which he supplied to them, on the house. They had, he said, helped to build that very inn after all. They each got their own rooms, though secretly both Blackheart and Kalara wished to share one again. They also both decided on a similar philosophy for them: Not too much and not too fast. They had all agreed to meet up in the common room of the inn for breakfast, and then set out on their journey. The room that they entered was much like the one that they had stayed in while they were at Lor'danel previously. There was a bed in one corner of the room and next to it a small end table with a lamp on it and a wash basin. Nothing too fancy, but they didn't need fancy. They needed sleep. They had a very long way to go the next day.

Even as Blackheart extinguished his lamp to sleep he knew it would not come easily tonight. The clouds had parted enough that a bright, full moon shone through the small window in his room. While the old myth about full moons and worgen wasn't exactly true, he did feel a… calling to the moon. He didn't plan to howl at it, but on a night with a clear, full moon he liked to sit, watch the moon, and reflect. It felt odd to Blackheart to be safe, to be at peace. He recalled how, when helping to construct Lor'danel it had seemed strange to be able to rest in a bed without the need to keep his senses keen for predators. He had still woken at every noise and hadn't let his guard down, but it was nice to know that he could have been off guard and would have made it through the night just fine. Even when he had slept next to Kalara, as comfortable as he had been, he had woken at every twitch she had made in her sleep. That hadn't been so bad, as it was another chance to spend relishing her presence. He had spent too long fighting every day just to survive to let those habits go in such a short time. One day, he mused, maybe he could just relax. One day he, and hopefully Kalara with him, would think of things like dragons and evil cults and horde armies and realize those things were in the past and nothing to worry about anymore. One day when he could sheath his sword, and his claws, he would be able to rest. For tonight though he figured resting in his bed would be enough, and bedded down for the night.

When morning arrived he awoke at his usual time, dressed quietly, and went to Kalara's door. He was surprised as he put his hand up to knock faintly that the door opened and a bleary eyed Kalara stumbled into him. She issued a sleepy murmur and clung to him.

"I didn't expect you to be up this early." He said, looking down into her sleepy eyes. Her hair was a mess; it was covering part of her face, knotted and sticking up in some places and laying flat in others. He marveled that even though her appearance was a sleepy mess, she was still beautiful.

"Mmm wanted ta' see sunrise." Her words slurred out. She still wasn't fully cognizant, and to her this was not a decent hour to wake up at, but she had wanted to see if what Blackheart had said about each sunrise being different was true. A slight gasp followed Blackheart sweeping her off her feet. She leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "You need to warn me 'fore you do that."

Outside the inn the small settlement was dark and peaceful. The magical lamps still burned, lighting up the streets and the pier. The soft sound of the sea lapping against the shore and the tinkling of wind chimes disturbed by the breeze the sea brought in were the only sounds that disturbed the silence. The breeze brought with it the salty smell of the sea. Blackheart did enjoy the sunrise wherever he was, but he would be glad when he could get away from the sea. The intense salty smell was harsh on his heightened senses. He walked to the edge of the pier, carrying Kalara with him. At the edge of one facing back East towards the mainland he sat down and plopped Kalara down into his lap.

As she nuzzled closer to him, she asked, "Won't the mountains block the sun for a long time? How will we see it?"

He nodded, answering, "It will be blocked for a little while, but the sun will still break over the edge of the mountains and it will have the same effect as it did yesterday morning."

Kalara nodded, content with his answer for now. She felt more than heard Blackheart's breathing slow and she closed her eyes, mimicking him, trying to tune things out and sense the sunrise coming. It seemed like it was taking longer than it should; it seemed like the sun should have risen already. It was then that she realized that it wasn't just her that was anticipating the sun's arrival. All around her she could sense the earth anticipating it as well, as if it knew that the sun should be up by now but something, namely the mountains, was keeping it held back. She sensed the pressure of anticipation building and was slept along with it and just as she thought she couldn't wait any longer the first rays of the sun swept over the mountain top and struck the land around her. She was instantly warmed by the sun's rays caressing her face and she felt the land awake in front of her. When she opened her eyes and turned to look at Blackheart he was watching her, a smile playing at his lips. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He said before kissing the top of her forehead. "Nothing at all. I was just enjoying the view."

The two of them returned to the inn before Miakoda was up and were packed and waiting for her when she exited her room. After a quick breakfast the group bid goodbye to the inn keeper, thanked him once more for the free lodgings, and set out to their immediate destination: Astranaar, Ashenvale. The group hoped to make it to Astranaar by the end of the day. On their way out of the village there were calls of recognition for Kalara and Miakoda by villagers that recognized them from the work they had done to get Lor'danel on its feet. As they reached the edge of the settlement they were hailed by a familiar night elf: the guard who had stopped them on the night after the Cataclysm and almost instigated a fight among friendlies. Blackheart saw her and mused that if it had not been for Tyria speaking up the situation would have been much worse.

"Ho Kalara, Miakoda. Who's this with you?" the guard captain said as she approached, flanked by two of her guards.

"You almost put an arrow through me once, though I've lost some hair since then." Blackheart's voice was definitely not the same as it was when he was a worgen, it wasn't quite as deep and husky, but his tone, inflections, and general accent made it clear who he was.

"Blackheart! I am pleased to see that you seem to have gotten your situation straightened out. Where might you three be headed?" The captain asked, standing at ease with them.

Blackheart answered. "We're right now to Astranaar, but eventually we'll be on to Thunder Bluff to return Miakoda to her tribe and then on to Menethil Harbor. Why do you ask?"

The captain looked over to her two guards before nodding, as if settling and internal debate, and continued. "We haven't heard anything from Astranaar for a while now. I sent two of my sentinels a week ago and they haven't came back. After that I sent a squad, fifteen sentinels, to see what had happened. That was three days ago. They should have at least sent someone with a report for me. Something has gone wrong down that way, and we have no idea what. I know I shouldn't thrust my problems onto you, and I don't discount the prowess of my sentinels, but if half of what I've heard about all of you is true I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep your eyes open, both for your own safety and to look out for my sentinels. I have a bad feeling about the whole situation."

Blackheart looked to Kalara and Miakoda, both who nodded. The peace he had thought about the previous night fled from his mind, replaced with the sense of pride he was starting to get accustomed to having that stemmed from helping others in need. It had been nice when he was helping to build Lor'danel that helping didn't also involving killing, but he knew all too well he could handle sword and claws better than a hammer and chisel. Even if he hadn't been headed that way, he realized, he would have went anyway. This new life of adventure, while much more dangerous than living alone in the woods, was definitely more exciting. With a quick look at Kalara he realized it was much more rewarding as well.

He looked back to the captain. "Of course we would be happy to keep an eye out for them, and thank you for the warning. If we get to Astranaar and find nothing, we'll send back word somehow to you."

The captain bowed slightly. "My thanks to all of you. I've held you up long enough. Be safe."

The captain and her guards went back to their post and allowed Blakcheart's group to leave the village. They walked along the road mostly in silence for a few hours, passing through the peaceful forest. Blackheart could still smell the saltiness and dead plant matter that was the aftermath of Deathwing's emergence. It was in this reflection of the destruction that Blackheart noticed something strange about the wind. Until now there had always been a slight breeze coming in from the coast. Now though, the wind was being drawn away from him, to the South along the coast instead of from it. He also sensed a… wrongness ahead. He slowed and looked to Miakoda and Kalara. The tauren's eyebrows were furrowed and she looked perplexed. Kalara looked around, her eyes slightly wide, a classic sign she felt something was wrong.

"I don't know what this feeling is," the tauren said, "but it's making the hairs on my neck stand up. Whatever is up ahead is not a good thing, that's for sure."

Kalara nodded her assent. "It feels as if the wind is being… hurt, if that makes any sense. I definitely don't like it."

The group slowed their pace now, warily keeping an eye on the forest around them. The wind continued to pull away from them with every step they took until soon their tabards were flapping out in front of them and Kalara's hair was making it difficult for her to see. The further they progressed, the louder it got as well; a dull but constant roar was able to be heard and only grew louder with each step they took. As they rounded the next bend they understood and were stopped in their tracks. Beyond the broken ground that looked as if it had been shattered was the largest vortex of wind that any of them had ever seen.


	18. Chapter 18 Vortex

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 18

Vortex

For a while Blackheart's mouth lay agape as he stared at the huge funnel of wind in front of him. The roar from the wind was almost deafening now and he could feel it physically pulling at him while his tabard and hair whipped about. Leaves where sucked towards the vortex while small sticks bounced along the ground. Above the wind he could see larger objects being slung about; large branches and even some small trees where violently spun around the vortex, slamming into each other and splintering. And they needed to be on the other side of it.

He turned to Kalara and had to shout to be heard above the noise. "Any ideas on what to do about this thing?"

She continued to stare at it for a time before answering. "I'm not sure. The amount of energy in the wind funnel should be ripping the land apart." She furrowed her brow for a few moments before continuing. "I don't know what it is, but something is… containing it. I think… I think we need to go and see what it is."

Whatever Blackheart was about to say was drowned out by Miakoda's bellow. "Are you both absolutely insane? Do you see the size of that bloody tornado? There's no way we could even get close! We'll be picked up and thrown around like that. It's madness!"

Rather than answer, Kalara closed her eyes and concentrated, floating slightly off the ground and putting her hands out to either side. "I hate it when she does the floaty thing. Last time she floated she got struck by lightning. It's not natural!" In answer to Miakoda's protest, Kalara touched back down to the ground and the wind, at least the wind close to them, stopped to pull at their clothes and became quieter. Blackheart looked around and noticed a slight shimmer around them. Outside of their 'bubble' the air was being sucked towards the vortex like normal, but everything inside was unaffected.

Miakoda snorted and shook her head. "Oh sure, you made a fancy little bubble that stopped the wind whistling here, but what about up there at the heart of the storm, what if your shield doesn't hold?"

"Then I guess we'll be flying over Darkshore once again. I thought your problem was with boats and water, not with being in the air Miakoda."

The tauren covered her face with her large hand for a moment before looking at Blackheart. "And I suppose you're not gonna stop her, are you?"

Blackheart smiled as he shook his head. "Stop her? Have you seen anything, including me, stop Kalara when she has her mind set to it?" Kalara winced slightly at the reminder of throwing him through the inn. "Besides, she's kept me safe and brought me back from the dead. What is walking into a little storm compared to that?" That brought a smile to the shaman's face.

After a pause involving a lengthy you're-both-crazy stare at each of them, Miakoda threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine! But if I leave the ground at any time, I'm making sure to land on you." She pointed at Kalara. "And trust me, I'm heavy."

The group turned and slowly approached the vortex. The closer they got, the worse the outside airspace became. Soon, the trees that were still standing were leaning towards the tornado and much larger debris was flying towards it. Blackheart watched as some kind of shrubbery was ripped out of the ground, flying towards the tornado to be thrashed around and then thrown clear. He deeply hoped that they wouldn't share that same fate.

The ground was also in worse condition the closer they came. The earth was broken into a small island network, surrounded by swiftly flowing waters that were raging towards the sea. On the largest and most central island was the eye of the storm. The center island was a higher elevation than all of the other islands. It was impossible to see the top from where they were.

Kalara grimaced as a particularly strong burst of the vacuum buffeted her shields, shrinking the shimmering air bubble towards the group and crowding them together. They were standing within arm's reach of each other and only had a foot to spare on either side. When they were within a few paces of the edge of the water, Blackheart turned to Kalara to see if she had any ideas about crossing it. The river was flowing too swiftly by them to think about trying to ford it, and it also seemed to deep for that as well. He opened his mouth but failed to speak when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The sixth sense of danger he had developed was flaring up, and something bad was about to happen soon. Without thinking about it, he was instantly a worgen and was trying to sense what was happening. Kalara, startled by his change, was stopped from asking about it by another strong gust that pushed her bubble back again, forcing them to stand nearly shoulder to shoulder. Following the gust was a tremendous crashing sound from behind the group. As one they turned to see part of a tree trunk, roughly the size of their group, barreling along the ground towards them.

Blackheart's mind raced through the possibilities for escape routes. Kalara's magic was tied up trying to keep them rooted to the earth as it was, so she was out. Miakoda's bow wouldn't be able to stop the thing, in fact any arrow she fired wasn't likely to make it but a few paces out of the bubble before turning back towards the vortex. That left Blackheart with his sword… and his shield. He saw their only way out of this, if it worked. The chances seemed slim. Then again, chances of surviving a boat being thrown onto the shore by a tidal waved caused by Deathwing also seemed slim. He was used to beating the odds by now.

"Down!" Blackheart yelled at his group, and both of them knowing the worgen well enough to listen, hit the dirt. Kalara looked up to see Blackheart yank the shield off of his back, slam it into the ground at a 45 degree angle, and hunker down behind it. The whole event took place as if it were slow motion for her: The tree slowly bounding along the ground towards them, Blackheart hunkering down behind the shield to brace it and trying to judge when the trunk would make its next bounce, making an impromptu ramp for the trunk, him looking back at her and holding her eyes for a second before squeezing them shut and grimacing a moment before the trunk hit him. A scream tore loose from her as the massive tree slammed high into Blackheart's shield, knocking the shield into Blackheart's head before it tore free. The tree was sent bouncing up and over them as it sent the worgen flying backwards out of the air bubble that kept them safe.

Both Kalara and Miakoda were up and running, chasing after him in an instant. Miakoda trailed slightly behind the shaman, keeping close to stay in the bubble. They saw Blackheart ahead of them tumbling towards the shore, his claws digging trenches into the ground as he tried to slow himself. It wasn't working.

Dizzy and disoriented from the number the tree and ground had done to him, Blackheart wasn't entirely sure which way was up anymore. Down, where the ground should be, seemed to be spinning all around, or maybe he was the one spinning. His thoughts were dulled and his vision blurry; a copious amount of blood had gotten into his eyes from a large gash across his forehead where the shield had slammed into it when the tree had struck it. His instincts were the only thing making him try and grab hold of the ground when it did come back into its 'down phase'. When the ground was above him, he would curl up into a ball and make the bounces slightly less painful. On the occasion that he wasn't spinning, he could see he was approaching the edge of the water… fast.

Kalara was running flat out as fast as she could towards Blackheart's tumbling form and she could hear the pounding footfalls of Miakoda right behind her. As she ran she poured more magical energy into the bubble protecting them, trying to extend it all the way to where Blackheart was but it simply wouldn't hold that far out. Blackheart was nearing the edge of the bank and just as she and Miakoda got to him he rolled off the bank and she dove for his hand.

The instant Blackheart felt the water hit him he started to despair. The equipment he was wearing, his chainmail and his sword, were dragging him slowly to the bottom. He still had one hand along the edge of the bank, but was losing ground, the river and his equipment trying to sweep him away. He felt his claws digging a furrow in the ground as he started to be swept away by the stream and he could no longer keep his head above the surface. He could feel how far he was from the edge, but didn't have the strength to do anything about it. There was only a foot left, then six inches, then his thumb wasn't in the ground anymore and it was just his claws attached, and then he felt himself break loose from the bank and sink towards the bottom.

His journey was short lived as he felt himself jerked to a stop; something had hold of his arm above the water. He looked up, but couldn't see through the water enough to get a glimpse of what it was until a large hand shot down into the water and grabbed his collar and pulled him upward. He almost had a sense of vertigo at the speed of which he was hauled out of the water and plopped onto the shore. A shape leaned over his face soon after, but it was blurry. Thinking was… difficult. He was sure the shape was a face and that its mouth was moving but he could hear nothing. What kind of thing moves its mouth but makes no sound? Now it was shaking him. Why did it have to shake him? And why did his head feel like it was being crushed? He saw its blurry appendages point to him and then a blue light came from them. He had seen this somewhere else… and the smell, thought faint, was very familiar. The comforting feeling of drifting lazily in a stream washed over him, and took with it his pain, exhaustion, and his confusion. With that gone, reality snapped back into place in a lour roar.

"Blackheart!" Kalara was saying over and over again, quietly as if in the background before finally coming to full volume as his hearing returned. He realized she was yelling and sobbing.

He reached up and wiped a few stray tears from her face, quieting her. "I'm ok now." He said, rubbing away some of the dried blood on his face. "Thank you."

"You had a concussion," she said, her voice still hoarse, "your shield hit you in the head when the tree hit you." She then bent over and hugged his head to her chest. "Try to avoid getting your head smashed in again, ok?"

"It's right up there on my list of things to avoid, along with death and dragons." He rested a moment, enjoying the embrace, before standing up. He stood slowly, testing his legs to make sure he was stable. The healing magic that Kalara could conjure up never ceased to amaze him. He looked around and, not finding the object he was searching for, said, "On the note of things smashing my head, where is my shield?"

"I don't know," Miakoda responded, a relieved smile on her face, "whatever was left of it is either up in the air or at the bottom of that river."

Blackheart scanned the area once more before looking up at the large tornado. "Ok so… what now?"

Kalara stood and pulled out a small vial filled with amber colored liquid from her pack. "Now, it's time for a little more shamanism." She held the vial in the palm of one hand and raised her other hand, palm outwards, behind it. Blackheart smelled the familiar scent of her magic fill the air, tinged with the scent of fish. A shimmer seemed to encompass the area around Kalara's feet, then around his and Miakoda's as well. "This," she said, stepping out onto the river and standing on top as if it were solid stone, "is what we do now. Come on."

Blackheart and Miakoda looked at one another, shrugged at the same time, and strode out beside her. Blackheart had never walked on top of water before. It was a most… peculiar sensation, floating where he should have sunk. He could hear Miakoda muttering beside him. "Oh sure, first we walk towards a tornado and now we're walking on water. I'm never leaving home again." He looked around and saw that Kalara had managed to force the air bubble farther out from them to give them some extra room. They continued across the river, stopping occasionally to let floating debris wash by them.

When they finally reached the island at the middle, the one that the tornado seemed to be fixated on, they had to get down on all fours in order to climb the steep slope leading to the island's top twenty paces above them. They ended up going slowly, Blackheart in the middle with Kalara to one side and Miakoda to the other holding onto him for support. He had the best footing, his claws giving him an edge with which to scale the hill. When Blackheart crested the top of the hill, he came to a dead stop, almost causing the others to fall. Kalara was about to complain to him until she saw what he was looking at. Or who rather. Standing directly under the vortex, pouring magical energy into it to control it, was the unmistakable figure of Malfurion Stormrage.


	19. Chapter 19 Stormrage

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 19

Stormrage

Once Blackheart recovered from the shock of seeing such a legendary figure standing before him, he finished climbing to the top of the island, dragging Kalara and Miakoda with him. They stood, panting, and stared at Malfurion Stormrage as he kept the massive swirling vortex above him in check. For a time, it seemed as though the powerful druid would not notice the trio. As Blackheart recovered from his climb, he took stock of the area around him. The top of the island that they were standing on was devoid of any form of plant life; it was barren of all but dirt. He looked around and saw the destruction radiating out from this central point, and when he looked up he could see many things from the forest swirling around the vortex. It didn't seem as if the suction was as bad here, in the eye of the storm, but Kalara still kept her shield in check.

"It seems as though I have guests," Malfurion rumbled in his deep voice, "and by your looks you know who I am. What I do not know is who you three are, and why you would risk coming here."

All three of them were still in a slight state of shock, however Blackheart was the first to recover. "I am Blackheart, and this is Kalara and Miakoda. We came because Kalara said she felt something containing this vortex… something she thinks she can help with."

Malfurion turned his attention to Kalara then. "Help is always appreciated, though what kind of help you can offer I do not yet know. One must wonder what your profession is, Kalara, that you think you can assist me. Surely not a priest or a paladin, for 'the light' would not have gotten you past the wind that this mighty storm brews. Not a hunter or a warrior, for I see no implements of war, and not a mage either I think. That leaves the last profession the Draenei regularly practice, though not often. You must be a shaman, and if a shaman you are then a great help you indeed could be."

Kalara could only nod, trying to hide how pleased she was at the opportunity to help one of the greatest mortals on the face of Azeroth. "How can I help?"

"The elements, while intertwined throughout nature, where never the specialty of druids. While I'm holding this vortex back, perhaps you could speak with a wind elemental and see if they can do something about this?" He gestured upwards, then resumed his trance, pouring energy into the vortex to hold it in place.

Kalara nodded, and then closed her eyes. Blackheart watched as her face took on a serene appearance and her breathing slowed. He knew her consciousness was no longer attached to the mortal plane. Once Kalara had reached the calm, steady state she needed to commune with the elements, she called out with her mind to Susurrus, the wind elemental she had made a pact with for her elemental powers. A voice filled her head then, like wind rushing through the leaves. "You called, young shaman?"

As Kalara opened her eyes, she saw the elemental hovering before her. As she looked around she noticed the entire place seemed to be one giant bank of clouds, as if she were floating in the sky. This was the realm of air. She could see other elementals, some greater and some lesser than Susurrus, floating around the realm, creating eddies in the clouds that they passed. A monstrous sound drew her attention to the side where two of the largest wind elementals she had ever seen, easily the size of large houses, grappled with each other. Each elemental had a look of effort across their… faces, if they could be called such. They each gripped the other's hands and were pushing with such a force that they were completely horizontal, the clouds and other things of the realm billowing around them in a tempest. She winced as lightning, so bright it left after images for many moments, flashed out from where their hands connected, one such bolt hitting a lesser elemental that was caught in the tempest and utterly obliterating him. Finally tearing her eyes from the spectacle, she bowed and voiced her request to Susurrus. "I've come to ask for assistance. A great storm is tearing apart Darkshore and I need help to calm it."

With a wave of his hand, Susurrus smoothed a cloud that rested between them, its surface turning to glass. With another wave of his hand the glass went suddenly dark, then became brighter as he scried the storm. Kalara saw that she was looking down the eye of the storm from above. She could see Malfurion, hand upraised, pouring power into the storm. She could also see Miakoda and Blackheart staring at what she realized, with a start, was her own body. Regardless of how often it seemed to be happening of late, she was never accustomed to seeing herself from far away.

An odd sound emitted from Susurrus then, and she realized he was laughing. "I haven't seen such a storm in a while. It's beautiful really, the way the wind can tear the earth and water apart." He looked at Kalara and one of his purple eyes disappeared for a second in what she could only guess was a wink. "It's always nice to get one up on my fellow elements. Earth will be furious." The elemental looked up to see the lack of amusement on Kalara's features. He studied her for a while longer; the huge elementals fighting in the background drew her attention once again. At a hissing noise from Susurrus she turned back to face him. "This tempest, however beautiful it seems to me, was created by Deathwing. Him and those thrice damned Twilight Hammer think they know better what to do with the wind than we do eh? Let's show them a thing or two." As he waved away the image he extended his hand towards Kalara. She felt an immense welling up of elemental energy suffusing her body as he touched her. "Tell your friends to hang on." When he released contact with her, the world went dark. Blinking, a roar filled her ears as she realized she was back on Azeroth.

Blackheart was looking at her, concern crossing his features. "What are we going to do?"

She was having trouble controlling the amount of energy built up in her body as she tried to answer. Her hair was starting to stand on end, and a bright white arc of electricity ran up one arm before meeting her shoulder and striking out at one of the islands nearby, cracking it in half and sending dirt spraying up into the vortex. Blackheart didn't move, merely looked at the island, looked back at her, and cocked an eyebrow up. Through gritted teeth she told Blackheart and Miakoda, "Hold… on. I… I can't… contain…." She trailed off as another arc of electricity ran the length of her body. She could feel the well of power within her, begging to be released.

Blackheart didn't waste time in doing what she asked. He lifted his sword off his back and, uttering a feral growl, slammed it into the ground with all of his considerable strength. The long blade sank almost to the hilt securing it to the ground. As quick as he could, Blackheart pulled a rope from his pack, cursing his luck that it was wet as he wove it around the pommel, avoid the blade. He knew a wet rope just didn't last as long as a dry one. First securing himself, he ran to Miakoda and wrapped the rope around her before sinking his claws into the ground and holding on. Miakoda gripped the sword itself. By this time he could see that Kalara was floating a few feet off the ground and in front of Malfurion. The arcs of electricity that had gone the length of her body occasionally were now there continuously, one right after the other. He could feel his hair standing on end and could sense the amount of energy about to be released. Electricity was sparking between Kalara and the ground now. With a grunt Malfurion nodded to Kalara and raised his hand, pouring even more power into the storm. At the same time, Kalara's arms shot skyward and a deep, loud noise reverberated through the air. It was like a hum, but loud enough to be deafening; he could feel the waves of energy buffeting him as she struggled to release them into the storm.

Kalara had never felt this much energy before. She had called down lightning to strike around her, and when she had completed her contract with the elementals she had been filled to the brim with energy. Now though they seemed faint things in the face of the raw torrent of power she could no longer contain. She was not only filled to the brim, she was overflowing with it; it was a miracle she hadn't injured anyone with lightning and lucky that the initial bolt that escaped had struck that island instead of Blackheart or Miakoda. As she raised her hands and released the energy she felt as if she might be torn apart. The energy froze her in place, escaping in a massive blast starting deep within her chest, racing to the rest of her body, and then escaping upwards. Her entire body shook and reverberated with each pulse of energy being released. She could no longer hear or see anything; she only felt the energy within her. She started to panic as she realized this was just too much energy for a normal being to possess. As her body shook more violently, she heard Susurrus whisper in her mind, "Be at ease shaman. I have it from here." As she felt the power slip beyond her control, the world first went a brilliant white… then she was falling into blackness.

At first Blackheart thought that the hum was the worst that was to come. He was sorely mistaken. The sound increased in intensity until he thought his eardrums would burst, vibrating him to his core and rattling his teeth. A light shot out from Kalara's hands towards the eye of the storm and the humming began to pulse, with each pulse sending a torrent of energy into the sky and the vortex. With each pulse also came the sense that he was no longer as stuck to the ground as he had hoped. A string of curses reached him between the pulses and he looked over to see Miakoda's feet rising off the earth. The tauren's eyes were screwed shut and the muscles on her forearms were bulging as she gripped the sword. Blackheart felt his grip on the earth diminishing, as if a giant hand had hold of him and was pulling him up into the sky. With each pulse the pull grew stronger than the last; with each pull his grip failed him a little bit more. He could feel his claws being drug out of the earth until finally a pulse ripped him free, tearing the chunks of earth he was holding free with him. He cried out in pain as the rope snapped taught and jerked him still, injuring his waist with the pull it had on it. He also heard Miakoda's voice change from cursing to a strangled cry. He looked down to see, to his horror, the rope that attached him to the sword had somehow gotten caught around one of her short horns and was wrenching her neck to the side. He could see from the position and pain she was in that much more would likely spell her death. The force pulling him into the sky was keeping the rope taught. The tauren opened her eyes then, meeting Blackhearts and letting out a painful bawl. He knew what he had to do then. With one last look in Miakoda's eyes, and one last look at Kalara, he forced his arm down and, using his sharpened claws, he severed the rope, releasing the pressure on Miakoda's neck and sending him spiraling skyward, leaving the ground far behind.

The last pulse that Kalara emitted hit just after he cut himself loose from the rope. A huge blue ripple of elemental energy coalesced above her hands and blasted outwards. From his vantage point in the air he could see the remaining trees that surrounded them get flattened. Nothing within a mile of Kalara was left standing. He could also see the pulse racing up the vortex towards him. The precursors to it hit him, buffeting him as the vortex had before Kalara had put her bubble up. He could see the main wave of energy coming and did the only thing he knew to: he curled up into a ball, shut his eyes, and prayed. The wave of energy struck him a moment later. It felt as if every point on his body was struck by a lightning bolt. His entire body was thrown upwards once again, into the sky and into blackness.

When next he opened his eyes he wished he had remained unconscious. The thing his mind registered most predominantly was pain. His entire body felt like one giant bruise; he felt as if he was on fire. He could taste blood in his mouth, but none of his muscles seemed to want to work. He also couldn't seem to get enough breath; one of his many broken ribs had punctured a lung. There was also a great deal of pain around his shoulders… something was exerting a large amount of pressure there. The one thing that didn't fit in was the rhythmic motion and 'swooshes' of air that kept happening. He couldn't see well, but it looked like he wasn't on the ground. Following the swoosh he kept hearing, something was rhythmically flipping into and out of his field of vision. It took him many moments to realize it was a set of wings in their down flap he was seeing. Something was familiar about the wings, but he couldn't place it. Before he got any further along his line of thought the pain seemed to strike back at his consciousness and all went black again.

The next time his consciousness filtered back to him, he felt significantly better than he did upon his previous awakening. He was still unable to move, but at least the pain was gone. He couldn't hear more than mumbling, as if the sound was coming to him through a wall. He could breathe easy now though, so his lungs must be fixed. He could also smell magic. He could smell a familiar magic engulfing him… he identified it as Kalara's; she was healing him. The feel of his injuries being washed away was there, but an alien magic was there too… it smelled like plants. It brought to him images of laying in a forest, the sunlight nourishing him and his injuries growing out of him and shedding them off like a tree sheds its leaves.

Finally his hearing faded in. He could hear water in the background. The one thing he noticed that was missing was the sounds of the storm… Kalara and Malfurion must have succeeded. When he was finally able to open his eyes he was looking at a beautiful, clear blue sky. He could see both Kalara and Malfurion standing over him pouring healing energy into him. Miakoda was over to one side, struggling to retrieve his sword from where it was buried in the ground. Once his eyes opened they both stopped pouring magic into him and Kalara dropped to the ground by his side. Cradling his head in her arms she whispered, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

It took Blackheart a while to find his voice; his first attempts at speaking just didn't work. Finally he whispered, "It's ok." He reached up and cupped her face and noticed he was human again. "You did it," he croaked out, "you stopped the storm. That was amazing." She smiled in response.

Malfurion's deep voice rumbled, "Indeed she did. A most magnificent display of shamanism that I believe even Thrall and Nobundo would have been proud to accomplish. I want to thank you for helping me with the tempest." He looked to the sky mumbling something to himself in Darnassian. Looking back to Blackheart he said, "I have felt the touch of Elune upon you two. You are both destined for greatness. Although what you accomplished today is something of note, you both still have more to accomplish." He once again turned his gaze skyward. "I must go now, for I am needed elsewhere. Ande'thoras-ethil." With that he took a few steps and leapt off the edge of the cliff and, following a puff of smoke, turned into a large bird, winging towards Darnassus.

Watching him go and hearing the rhythmic thumps of his wings, something clicked into place in Blackheart's mind. He looked up at Kalara and asked, "What happened? Is he how I got down here?"

She smiled and nodded. "Once the storm was diminished I regained consciousness as he was taking off. You owe him your life; he flew up to you and caught you before you hit the ground and then helped me to heal you. You were…" her voice wavered for a few moments. "You were in bad shape. As bad as when Deathwing hit the boat, maybe worse. You were… broken and… and…" she started stammering then, unable to even say how badly injured he was.

Blackheart sat up and pulled her close to him. She was still stammering and on the verge of tears when he tipped her chin up with his hand and kissed her. He could sense the tension leave her then; he could smell her emotions go from worried to relaxed and happy. Ending the kiss he said, "I'm ok now, and that's what I want you to focus on." She nodded, and he stood slowly and found to his relief he had no problems. Reaching down he helped Kalara up as well. He looked to Miakoda, still struggling with his sword, and said, "Well, at least that held."

Kalara walked over and slowly pushed the panting Tauren out of the way. "I've got this," she said, winking. Falling into herself and calling upon the earth elements she put one hand towards the sword and raised it. The sword followed her movements, the earth pushing the sword up and sealing the ground. At its peak the sword fell over with a clang. As Blackheart reached for it he grunted in surprise as Miakoda engulfed him in a hug. "Thank you Blackheart. If you hadn't cut the rope then…" she couldn't continue. Struggling to breathe, much to the merriment of Kalara, he wheezed out, "It's what friends do. Now can you let go before my ribs get crushed a second time today?"

She set him down quickly with a muttered apology. Blackheart picked up his sword and strapped it on his back. He turned southward, flexing his recently repaired muscles. "Well, let's head to Astranaar and see what kind of trouble we can stir up there."


	20. Chapter 20 Maestra's Post

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 20

Maestra's Post

"I, for one, hope to avoid the troubles you two stir up." Miakoda said, clambering down off the island and waiting at the edge of the river flowing around them. Blackheart came next, followed closely by Kalara who held onto him for support. Once they reached the bottom, Kalara pulled out another vial of fish oil and gave them each the ability to walk on water again. Once the spells were completed, she swayed somewhat, but assured both of her companions that she was fine.

"It seems impossible for us to avoid some kind of catastrophe." Kalara said as they approached the bank. The simple act of casting the enchantment had taken a great deal of the little strength she had left. Once they were all on dry land and the shaman ended the water walking spell, Kalara felt suddenly drained and stumbled forward, luckily, into Blackheart's outstretched arms. She marveled at how he always seemed there to catch her. Not a bad quality to have in the one that you… well that you liked very much.

Steadying her, Blackheart looked searchingly into her eyes. "Kalara, let me carry you for a while. I'm surprised you were even able to cast anything after what you've been through."

Scoffing, Kalara said, "Carry me? You can't carry me all the way to Ashenvale."

Completely ignoring her, Blackheart undid the straps holding his sword to his back and handed all of it to Miakoda. "Would you mind carrying that for me? I don't want her to get hurt by it."

The tauren accepted the large blade and, loosening the straps to adjust for her larger frame, equipped the massive claymore. "No problem."

Kalara was about to object when Blackheart knelt down on the ground in front of her, his back to her, and back up suddenly. The draenei wasn't able to move in time and ended up falling forward onto his back. Before she could extricate herself from him, he put his hands under her legs and stood up, hoisting her up in the air with him, carrying her piggy back style. "What… what are you doing?" she cried. "Put me down you big fur…" she meant to call him a fur ball, but he was in his human form at the moment, "you big oaf! Unhand me you knave!" The last comment produced a hearty laugh from both Blackheart and Miakoda. Seeing that she wasn't going to get what she wanted she finally relented, letting Blackheart carry her as he set off at a brisk pace. "We need to get some mounts." She said halfheartedly.

Miakoda looked over with a gleam in her eye and said, "Do they make saddles for them?"

Both Blackheart and Kalara looked at her, then each other, in confusion. "For what?" The draenei asked.

The tauren looked over at the two then, using her fingers and acting like she was making measurements. "We have fine leatherworkers at my home. I'm sure they could make a saddle that would fit… a worgen!" Miakoda burst into a fit of laughter so hard it caused her to stop running.

Both Blackheart and Kalara joined in with the laughter. They all needed something to lighten the mood. Once they were able, they continued on at a good pace down the road towards Astranaar. Kalara leaned close to Blackheart, wrapped her arms around his collar, and rested her chin on his shoulder. Being so close to him for a long time… perhaps this wouldn't be too bad after all.

They traveled down through Darkshore for a few hours and were just entering Ashenvale when the sun began to set. They left the road and went a little way into the forest before finding a nice level spot for a camp. Blackheart left the others to the job of setting up the camp and getting a fire going while he went out to hunt.

Kalara had taken on the task of getting the fire going, but after multiple frustrating attempts she realized that she couldn't call any magic to her, at least not without a blinding headache popping up. Miakoda luckily thought to bring flint and tinder and before long had a small blaze lighting up their little campsite. They had cleared the area of sticks and stones and unfurled the bed rolls. Blackheart returned soon, carrying a few rabbits and a handful of herbs with which to season them. As he went to prepare them, Kalara practically tackled him out of the way. "Finally!" she said. "Something I can do to help."

She took the herbs and prepared them, mixing them in with the rabbits before setting it all on a hot rock to fry. Blackheart watched the entire process as if in a trance. When the food was finally prepared he was eager to try it and, to his delight, it was delicious. "I never knew you could cook so well," the worgen said, his admiration plain.

"Oh, it's nothing much really, just something that I remember learning from my sister."

"Nothing much? You should try not having cooked food for a few years, or, sometimes worse, army rations. This is amazing. Now I need to know what you can cook when you have a good selection of ingredients."

Kalara's face started to take on a red hue from blushing. "Well, then next time I get the chance I'll cook for you."

"It's a deal."

By the time they had finished it was already dark. A small sliver of the moon rose above them, casting the forest in a soft glow. "I'll take first watch." Miakoda volunteered. Blackheart decided to take the last watch; it was the one that got the least amount of sleep and he knew that Kalara was going to need at least her fair share of it, if not more.

Kalara watched as Blackheart, happy with his bed preparation, shifted into a worgen. She was always amazed at how he seemed to suck up light and make it darker when he turned into a worgen, but made it brighter somehow when he changed back human. "Why are you sleeping like that?" she asked as he plopped down onto the ground next to her.

He glanced over to her, his blue eyes meeting hers. In his worgen deepened voice he said, "It has been a very long time since I have slept on the ground as a human. The last time it happened I do not remember it being a pleasant experience. I woke up with parts of me hurting that I didn't know could hurt. When I became a worgen though, I was forced to sleep on the ground until I met you, and sometimes in a tree when it came down to it. Although it was forced upon me, as a worgen it is pretty comfortable to sleep curled up on the ground."

She nodded and then lay down next to him, trying to get comfortable. She hadn't often slept on the ground, and wasn't relishing it now. Even if they had brought bedrolls with them, she still preferred a real bed. After a few minutes of trying to get comfortable on the hard ground she sighed and sat up. When she looked at Blackheart she gave a start, noticing that he was still awake and watching her.

"Sorry, I can't seem to get comfortable."

"So I heard. You just don't do well being silent in the forest do you?"

With a self depreciating chuckle she said, "No… I suppose not."

"Well, come and lay on me then and see if that's comfortable."

Kalara stared at him for a few seconds, still not sure she had heard him correctly. "Come and lay on you? How will that be more comfortable than the ground? And how will you sleep?"

He laughed quietly. "You don't weigh enough to make me uncomfortable. You slept on me last night, remember." Her cheeks went scarlet at that particular thought. "Besides, what did you always call me? Fluffy, right?"

Seeing no harm in trying she turned her back to him and leaned back, laying partially on an arm and his stomach and rested her head on his shoulder. He was right, he was fluffy, and even though she knew he packed a lot of muscle under there, it was comfortable to lay on him. She was just thinking about what Miakoda would say when she came to wake her, but then sleep took her.

For many years, Kalara hadn't looked forward to sleeping. After the Exodar had crashed, her dreams, when she had them, had nearly always been bad. She would often dream of the crash itself, remembering the terrifying shudder that rocked their ship as its dimensional warp drives malfunctioned, sending the ship out of control through the Twisting Nether until it found, and crashed, upon Azeroth. Those that she had grown up with had been very young when they had followed Velen as he took his people to claim their freedom. Sometimes she would dream of the demons and blood elves pouring onto the ship as it tried to depart from Tempest Keep; she could hear the screams of her people as they were cut down. In some dreams they were all caught and killed and the Exodar never departed. Then there were the dreams about her family.

She had always hated the dreams of her family. She had loved them dearly, and to remember seeing them in her dreams as they were taken away from her always left her feeling hollow when she awoke. Whenever her parents were in the dream, it was always the exact same dream: she could see them, as she had when it had happened in real life, trying to reach her while the Exodar fell from the sky. They were both running towards her and were only a few yards away when they crashed. The crashing of the ship had knocked Kalara unconscious at the time, and when she had awoken she looked to where her parents had been. Instead of seeing them, all that was left was a mass of twisted wreckage and fire.

Her sister also inhabited a single dream, that of her walking onto the boat at the pier near the Exodar and sailing off into the distance, never to return. Those dreams had haunted her nearly every night after the crash until she had met Blackheart. When he had saved her the first time she hadn't dreamt of anything, but the night after the battle at Azure Watch something in her dreams had started to change. She was having one of her particularly nasty recurring dreams about being cornered by a demon in the Exodar and, instead of ending the way it usually did with her dying, a great black wolf had been between her and the demon and had protected her. At first she had thought it coincidence that Blackheart had helped her and then she started having a wolf in her dreams. As she had more and more dreams with the wolf in it, she was convinced that he was the cause. Now she would even have pleasant dreams, such as the one she was having now. She was in a nearly empty meadow, some gently rolling hills going away from her into the distance. She and the wolf were sitting under a lone tree, enjoying the shade and the breeze and just generally being lazy.

When she was awoken by Miakoda from her dream, she had been scratching the wolf behind the ears and gazing into its blue eyes. Not for the first time, the similarity between the wolf and Blackheart struck her. As she became more coherent she realized she was still laying on Blackheart. Thankfully the only thing the tauren had to say was, "Get up lazy bones; it's time for your watch."

While Kalara sat with her back to an overturned tree for her watch, she tried to conjure up some of her shamanistic magic. When she called the wind to her, the best she could do was make a few leaves stir up that had fallen on the ground. She fared little better with water, making a puff of vapor appear from her hands. Fire and earth both failed to be summoned completely. It felt almost like she was burnt out from the inside; the channels of power she usually felt coursing through her were raw and barely a trickle could be felt. It gave her a headache even trying to feel the power. She took the stick she had been trying to light on fire and threw it as hard as she could into the forest, sitting down with a frustrated sigh.

She heard a slight noise and a flash of light from the camp and looked to see Blackheart walking over to her in his human form. She looked up and checked the time, peeking through the canopy of trees to see where the moon was at. She had only been on watch for an hour. She looked back to him wondering why he was up already.

Blackheart sat down beside the shaman and leaned back against the log. He could smell the unease and frustration rolling off of her. That, more than anything else, was what had awoken him. They were both quiet for a while before he spoke. "What troubles you dear?"

She looked over at him then, picking her words. There would be no fooling him when it came to her emotions. "After what happened yesterday… I can't use my magic anymore. I couldn't even do something simple like light a fire last night. Now, the best I can do is rustle some leaves. How am I going to be able to help anyone like this? I'm practically useless! You have that great big sword and your strength, Miakoda has her bow, though she'll be leaving us soon enough. What do I have without my magic? I… don't know how I'll ever find my sister like this."

Blackheart looked at her for a while before carefully, and easily, picking her up and setting her down in front of him and wrapping his arms around her. She was almost used to being moved around by him as if she weighed no more than a feather. Once sitting there though, she relaxed and leaned backed against him, enjoying the closeness.

He remained silent for a little while longer before speaking. "You haven't lost your magic. What you did yesterday with the tornado… I've never seen magic of that magnitude channeled through one person before. Mages have died using the kind of power that you did, completely consumed by the torrent of power they were trying to wield. Warlocks get taken over by the demon's they try to harness, and druids lose control of themselves when they fall into so much magic. You are aware that you channeled more magic into that tornado than _the _Malfurion Stormrage don't you? He's had 10,000 years to work on his magic. I am still amazed at what you did. Your powers, I think, just need a break. You haven't even slept a full night since then. You will be more than enough help and you are not useless at all. It will come back, of that I have no doubt."

She smiled, cheered up by his words, and just leaned against him and enjoyed his company. Slowly though, she began to be able to tell that something was bothering him. His words had brought her a measure of comfort. Now it was her turn to do the same for him. She looked up at him to see his face set in something she had never witnessed from him. His eyes were open wide and he had a look of almost… fear on his face. She turned around and rested on her knees before cupping his face in her hands and forcing him to look at her. "What is it?" she breathed.

He looked into her eyes for a while before saying, "I was just remembering what happened today. When you started calming that storm I was… terrified."

"You? Scared? I don't believe it. I've never seen you scared. You _died_ and weren't scared."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head a little before responding. In a quiet voice just above a whisper, he said, "I wasn't scared for me. I thought the amount of energy you were using was going to consume you. I was afraid that if I made it through it there would be nothing left of you. I have seen death, even experienced it. I've faced down a host of demons, blood elves, and feral worgen but never have I felt the same fear as I did when I saw you today." He looked to her then, the most serious look she had ever seen in his blue eyes. "I thought I was going to lose you. That is the single most terrifying thought that I know."

Kalara gently took his face in her hands. She could feel his pulse racing in his temples, and was still amazed that it scared him that much. She knew though, completely, what he felt like. She had healed him from serious injuries, had literally brought him back from the dead, and knew the fear that he faced. She had faced the fear of losing him entirely too often.

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead before speaking. "I know exactly how you feel. How many times have I had to fix you up? Trust me, I know. But this is a dangerous world we live in. I hate to say it, but what we are doing, going up against the Twilight cult, one or both of us… we might not make it. Even then, if we both make it through it, I will live much, much longer than you. But I can't focus on that, and neither should you. If you worry about losing me more than you enjoy being with me you will make both of us miserable. Don't go there. I've been there and really, it's not worth writing home about."

She could feel his pulse slowing down to a more acceptable rate. She leaned forward until their foreheads touched, the base of her horns just bumping his head. "All we can do is live the life we are given to the best of our abilities and enjoy the time we have together."

She could feel him slowly exhale before whispering, "Thank you." She felt his hands reach up to her face, holding it for a second before he brought her forward and their lips met. She felt a jolt pass through her as they kissed; it always had that effect on her. Now, worrying about her powers was the last thing on her mind.

* * *

Kalara was in the middle of a dream about baking a pie for Blackheart, of all things, when the sunlight hitting her eyelids drove her awake. She sleepily opened her eyes and tried to make sense of her surroundings. She was sitting up somewhat and very comfortable. There was also something heavy lying across her. When she looked down she saw two large arms wrapped around her, and then it came back to her. She must have fallen asleep while lying on Blackheart. When she looked up at him he was smiling at her. "Good morning beautiful. How do you feel?"

She turned her head to hide her blush. "I feel much better now."

Blackheart tightened his arms around her, giving her a hug. "I'm glad. You missed a most spectacular sunrise today."

"Well why didn't you wake me then?"

With a chuckle, he responded, "You needed sleep more than you need to see the sunrise. There will also be a sunrise tomorrow that will be just as amazing as this one. I believe Miakoda is about to wake up so we had best be on our way."

"Ok." She tried to stand up, but remained firmly rooted in place by the worgen's large arms. She looked down at them and then back to Blackheart, her eyebrow cocked in confusion. He smiled, and in response moved forward and kissed her. "One for the road." He said, winking at her.

They were packed and traveling down the road in only a few minutes. If his guess was right, they would arrive in Astranaar in a few hours. He didn't know what awaited him there, but he was determined to enjoy the time that he had to just walk through the forest with Kalara. The draenei and the tauren were deep in conversation about which herbs were best to season rabbit when Maestra's Post came into view.

Blackheart knew something was wrong the second he laid eyes on it. He had intended to go straight through Ashenvale until they got to Astranaar, but when a plume of smoke and the smell of death greeted him coming from the post, that was the furthest thing from his mind. Occasionally a great crash would sound, though what it was from Blackheart could not tell.

"Make sure you have your tabard on and it is clearly visible Miakoda. We don't want any glaives coming at us." The tauren nodded and donned the tabard she had received from Relarus, one that would make her affiliated with the Cenarion Circle and thus neutral. Blackheart hoped it would be enough for them to be recognized as friendly.

They picked up their pace once Miakoda was appropriately garbed, reaching the outpost at almost a full run. There were only a few buildings at the post, but most of them were on fire. Night elves seemed to be running around all over the place; some were volleying arrows towards what looked to be a horde encampment, thought it seemed entirely too far for them to hit, some manned the night elves colossal glaive throwers, while others rushed around trying to help the injured or put out fires.

As they approached the town, they were quickly spotted and hailed, stopping as three night elves approached them. Two of them had their bows notched, drawn, and trained on their group. "Who are you and what is it that you want?" The night elf in the middle asked. Blackheart looked at Kalara then back to the night elf. Her voice was definitely not one of authority, but she apparently the leader by the way the others flanked her.

Blackheart wasted no time in explaining their names and that they were traveling to Ashenvale to both pass through it and to find out some news of the patrols sent by the guard captain at Lor'danel. After a moment's consideration, the night elf in charge made a motion and the two guards next to her lowered their bows. "I am Synthiana… I suppose you could say that I'm in charge. Everyone above me is either dead or incapacitated in some way. Most of the sentinels that you speak of are here, fighting for us now. We could certainly use more help. Please follow me."

Without a backwards glance, Synthiana turned and walked quickly back to the post. When they arrived, Blackheart could smell the familiar scents of battle permeating the air, those of death, sadness, and despair but also those of courage and victory.

Striding close to Blackheart, Miakoda whispered, "She doesn't sound much like a commander to me."

He nodded. "I don't think she has very much experience. They may be pretty bad off if all of their experienced leaders are down."

Just as they got to the middle of the camp, Blackheart picked up on a faint sound at the same time as his sixth danger sense kicked into overtime. He heard a whistling coming from somewhere and when he looked up, he understood the danger; a volley of massive ballista bolts were about to rain down on them. They seemed to be almost materializing out of thin air. "Take cover!" he yelled as he quickly changed into a worgen, taking Kalara with him, and sprinted for the nearest shelter. Some of the night elves looked around in confusion; those didn't make it. Most of them, however, looked up and saw the danger and scrambled for cover immediately.

Within seconds the first ballista bolt slammed down. Blackheart had never seen such a missile. It had a broad, four pointed iron head that was bigger from point to point than Miakoda. The shaft looked as though it was simply a tree with the branches cut off of it. The impact of it when it hit the ground rattled his teeth and sprayed him with dirt, rocks, and the gore of the unfortunate night elf it had crushed. More followed as they ran towards the main, fortified building. They could all hear the short screams of the dying as a few of the bolts claimed their victims.

When what remained of the night elves had made it into the post, they looked up towards the ceiling as the building violently shook from the impacts of the massive bolts. When they looked outside they could see over forty bolts lodged in the ground, some splattered with the gore of the night elves they had killed. A quick headcount revealed just over a hundred elves left who were standing; there were many more lying wounded in the back of the building. Synthiana was trying to figure out what to do, and as she started to command the remaining company, her voice was drowned out by a roar. As one, they all looked out to see a mass of orcs charging across the field. It looked like they were outnumbered four to one, and they would be upon them in a very short amount of time.

Synthiana was stuck at a loss for words. The three commanders that had been above her had all died or were grievously wounded, and now she was left to decide what to do when facing a host of ocrs charging wildly at them. She had never commanded until now, had never had any desire to lead anyone, and now it seemed that all was lost and it wouldn't matter. She looked at the night elves surrounding her, all looking to her for some kind of guidance, all awaiting orders. She started to panic… she couldn't seem to say anything. She noticed that the elves had changed from looking at her to something beside her when she felt a clawed, furry hand on her shoulder.

Blackheart knew something had to be done, or they were all doomed. He had surveyed the orcs charging for a few seconds before going up to Synthiana. The ones at the front lines, though hard to see, showed more green than anything else meaning they were little armor… they seemed to be just grunts. The night elves surrounding him though, they should be much better trained in combat. That should take care of the numbers advantage. Before he had moved towards Synthiana he had noticed twelve loaded glaive throwers and that gave him an idea.

In a loud voice, imitating his human commanders from his time in the army, he issued his commands. "Listen up! I am Blackheart, and until such time as someone that has a better ability to lead you lot steps forth I'm taking command." He could see the faces of the night elves arrayed before him and he could smell the apprehension coming off them. He would have to make his simple plan understood quickly, or he might just be cut down where he stood. He quickly outlined what he was thinking. It was a simple plan and only took a few seconds… but it seemed to have the desired effect. Apprehension turned into determination. In a few seconds, the night elves were running to do as he commanded.

As he was preparing to leave the building and join them, Miakoda approached him. "I cannot join this fight. I know that we are friends… but I cannot kill other horde members for you."

Blackheart looked her in the eye for a moment before nodding. "I do not expect you to kill your kin. Do as you must," he said as he gripped her forearm. The tauren nodded before retreating back into the fortified building.

"What of me?" Kalara asked as she walked up. "Am I to be useless and in the way?" He could smell some of the self doubt returning to her.

"You are going to do whatever you can to help out. If you can attack with your magic, you will attack. If you can't but you can heal, then you will heal as best as you can. If you can't do that, then you can drag the wounded back inside the building." He bent forward and pressed his wet nose to her cheek before giving it a quick, affectionate lick. "Be careful."

She nodded and watched as he went towards where part of the group of night elves were lining up. The area where they would meet the charging orc host was a fairly narrow one, which was good; they needed the bottle neck. Blackheart lined up in the middle at the front of the fifty sentinels and warriors suited for melee combat. At his nod, they laid their shields and weapons on the ground in front of them; he drew his oversized claymore and put it down a bit to the right on the ground. He could hear the grunts of the glaive operators as they wheeled the war machines up behind them.

He could see the orcs coming now, they were almost within range. He held his right arm up. "Archers!" he bellowed, "Fire!"

A volley arrows from the thirty archers behind him arced over his head and struck the first ranks of the orcs. Many stumbled and fell; the first wave was mere fodder and not well armored. The second ranks though, these were true orc warriors and all were wearing armor. The second time he called for a volley, it was less effective, many of the arrows being caught on a shield or in some chainmail. The orcs were closing in on them, he could see them fifty paces away now; he could almost smell the bloodlust. The orcs gave no thought as to why their enemies' weapons were laying on the ground in front of them or why they hadn't moved, or what they might possibly do to stem the rush of the horde.

When they had started the charge they were almost one hundred wide, barreling across the field. But now they had been bottlenecked down to half that. It would be nearly one to one when they reached the night elves, albeit the night elves had one rank to the orcs' four.

Blackheart called his fourth volley, his right arm slashing down followed by a wave of arrows. The orcs were used to this now and had started using their shields to block them. The fifth wave of arrows didn't injure a single orc. At twenty paces, Blackheart raised his left arm in the air and the orcs lifted their shields in response, effectively blocking any threat of arrows… but also blocking their view. "Ready!" he yelled. At fifteen paces, he yelled "Dive!" and the entire front line dove to the ground, putting a hand on their weapons and shields. A half second after Blackheart hit the ground he heard a series of mechanical groans and felt the rush of air as twelve glaive launchers fired simultaneously over their heads.

Giving a feral grin of grim satisfaction, he watched as the massive, three bladed glaives slammed into the advancing orc line. The force of being at close range, the spinning action of the glaives, as well as the fact that they were as wide as three orcs, caused absolute carnage. He watched as it literally cut the first couple of ranks of orcs in two. All twelve glaives cut a swath of destruction completely through the line of horde, killing every member in their path and passing many paces behind them. Nearly half of the orcs had been killed by the glaives, effectively stopping their charge… and making it a two on one fight... much better odds "Charge!" Blackheart yelled as he and the night elves got to their feet and capitalized on the momentary confusion.

The line of night elves, Blackheart among them, slammed into the orcs and cut them down mercilessly. Blackheart claimed five of the orcs, easily outmatching them in terms of skill. It was over in under a minute. They had taken on the orcs, outnumbered four to one, and the worst injuries suffered were a few cuts and bruises, nothing that couldn't be fixed by stitches.

A great cheer went up from the night elves then, one that was heard all the way back at the horde encampment. Blackheart was about to join in, but something started nagging at him. The orcs did tend to have an above average amount of bloodlust… but those that made it to a commanding position generally didn't do so through sheer force. There were intelligent orcs… Thrall for example. He had seen no commanding orcs here that they had killed which meant… there were more out there.

He had to shout to be heard above the cheering. "Let's get this lot cleaned up! I want to use the bodies of these things to make a better chokepoint. More will come." The cheering had died down and the elves looked at him for a few seconds. "Well? Come on let's get a move on!" he yelled, hoisting one of the dead orcs that lay at his feet and hauling it over to make a wall of flesh. It wasn't a pretty thing to do, but it would work. The other elves quickly joined him. They had just finished making the bottleneck ten people wide when Kalara joined him. He could smell the healing magic she had used. "You are recovered then?"

She gave him a funny look for a second before asking, "How…. How did you know?"

He smiled at her, repeating a gesture that he had months ago touching his, "Because this," and then touching her nose, "is better than this."

Kalara just sighed. "I'm not all the way back up, but I'm getting there. The more that I use it the better I get. I just finished up healing most of the injuries from this fight, as well as the many of those injured earlier. We have quite a few more night elves up and about." She raised her hands up and he could sense the magic coalescing in her hands as she healed the minor scrape he had received from one of the orcs.

"It's good that we have more up and about. We're going to need them."

She looked up at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

As if in answer, another warcry split the air. He and those around him turned to see a sight that drained the color from Kalara's face. Orcs were coming. Many, many more orcs than they had fought earlier were coming to face them. "That is what I mean."


	21. Chapter 21 Shamans

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 21

Shamans

Blackheart was having a hard time figuring out just how they were going to get out of this. There were hundreds upon hundreds of orcs coming for them. These, however, weren't charging blindly but were marching steadily across the field. It gave them more time to prepare but… it also meant that they were much better trained. Either way, something needed to be done quickly, but even he didn't know of a good plan for this.

"Alright, warriors form up in front of our bottleneck. Glaive operators, get those things loaded. Archers, get in position next to the glaives." As the night elves ran to comply, Blackheart idly picked up a discarded shield and wondered how they could hope to defeat these foes. There were no tricks to be used, no host of draenei to come charging in to save them this time. Just a hundred or so night elves, a worgen, and a draenei against what looked like six hundred orcs.

He turned to the shaman next to him. "Kalara… how much have you recovered?"

In response she opened her palm and a flame sprung up in it with very little difficulty. "Like I said, it seems the more that I use it, the better and easier it gets. I almost feel up to the level I was before the tornado… but it feels like I've become stronger than that somehow."

He nodded, thinking his plan might work, and if not… well he would figure that out when the time came. "Do you remember when you turned your skin to stone?"

She nodded, curling up her fist and concentrating for a moment before she punched the shield Blackheart was holding, putting a sizeable dent into it he dropped it, returning it to its former discarded glory.

"Is there any way you can do that for… ten, maybe twenty people at a time?"

She frowned, thinking about it for a minute. "Usually I can do it because of the totems that I carry with me. Let me think about it for a moment and I'll see what I can do."

When she wandered off, obviously deep in thought, Blackheart made his way over to Synthiana who was helping with the glaive throwers. "How does it look?"

She had just finished helping to hoist one of the massive glaives onto the end of a thrower and stepped back as it was loaded in place, turning as it was pulled down to the base and the firing mechanism came taught. "We have enough glaives for two full volleys, after that we're out."

"How well can your people aim them?" He asked, admiring the engineering that must have went into creating such a war machine.

"You just tell me where you want them, and that's where we'll put them."

He nodded before responding. "Alright then, I'll trust you to that. I don't want them fired immediately. Wait until my signal and fire as close over our heads as you can without killing us in the process. Think you can do that?"

She nodded. "Yes sir. I'm not much of a commander, but I'm a dead shot with anything ranged."

"Excellent. They'll be here soon. I have one more thing for you to do: can you find me the twenty best fighters you have?"

She took off at a trot and returned to Blackheart as he made it back to where they would meet the oncoming orcs. She had with her twenty night elf warriors as well as Kalara. The shaman walked over to him and at his glance she nodded. "I can do it for twenty or so, maybe one or two more, but they will have to stay very close. I won't be able to move while doing it either and I don't know how long I can keep it up."

Blackheart smiled at the good news. "That's all that I need. Just keep it up as long as you can."

One of the warriors asked, "What is it you wish of us?"

"This," he said, indicating the draenei next to him, "is Kalara. She's going to keep us alive as we hold the front line and stop the initial rush. She will make it so, for as long as she can hold out, you will not be injured." The assembled warriors murmured amongst themselves, but gave Blackheart the trust he had earned during the first attack. "Let's go, they're almost here."

The group of warriors, Blackheart, and Kalara walked to the end of the choke point they had created. Kalara kept her eyes on Blackheart's back, trying not to look at the gruesome sight of the bodies piled high on either side of them. As they stopped near the edge, Kalara raised her hands in front of her and concentrated, calling for the earth to aid her. Getting the elements to do her bidding had become significantly easier, and it seemed now that the element powers were flowing forth in a greater amount than they were before. It was almost as if channeling the massive amount of energy the day before, while it had left her drained, had increased her abilities and also made it easier to use the magic, now that she was recovered at least. In barely any time at all, the earth had raised up a pedestal to meet her hands. She took out her small earth totem and sat it on the pedestal before concentrating on her spell. Soon a slight ring could be seen in the earth, with her at the center. It was more than large enough to hold all of the elves and Blackheart.

She turned to them, still focusing on drawing out the earth's power, and said, "So long as you stand in this ring, and I don't collapse, your skin will be like stone. Be careful, you aren't invincible, but you'll be much harder to kill."

As Blackheart stepped into the circle he could feel a tightness about his skin. Using a claw he testing his arm and, sure enough, he wasn't able to pierce his skin. He looked about at the others and they noticed it too. A few had pulled out small daggers and watched with amazement as they drew them across their palms without being hurt.

Drawing his claymore, he stood a few paces inside the edge of the circle and planted it in the ground and turned to address the rest of the group. "They'll be here in under a minute. We are going to hold the line, right here, until they all lay dead or retreat, understand? The rest of you that aren't on the front line, form up behind us and wait to switch out with whoever is tired, or to stop the orcs if they break through, and whatever you do, don't cross this line!"

When they were all assembled, there was not much to do aside from wait. Soon the orcs would be upon them, and Blackheart hoped Kalara would be able to hold up. The mass of orcs was still steadily marching; he could hear the great beats of a war drum coming from somewhere in the rear of their line. In no time at all they were close enough that Blackheart could see all the details of them, from the oversized bottom canines to the creases in their armor, their faces were painted in war paint and a few of them carried a standard with a wolf on it… how ironic. Still as they approached, he and the rest of the night elves remained standing.

Leading them was an orc that seemed to have been in charge. He stood at least a head taller than the rest of them, and was saying something in Orcish. He had war paint of a different color than the rest of them, and carried the largest axe that Blackheart had ever seen; it rested across one shoulder as he walked. He was missing his left eye, and Blackheart hoped that, if it came to it, he could use that as an advantage. He also seemed to be amused at Blackheart and his defenders, all standing nearly at ease in a line before him. Blackheart hoped to wipe that grin off his face.

At an order from the leader orc, the entire procession stopped. He saw the second row of orcs string the short bows that they carried and knew what was coming next. "Stand firm!" he shouted, praying that Kalara's enchantment was working. He heard a command bellowed in Orcish and, as one, the front line of orcs went down on one knee and the line behind, all armed with bows, let fly.

Blackheart could hear the sharp intakes of breath as the night elves heard the twang of bows, but their courage never faltered; they all stayed standing as the arrows came flying in… and ricocheted off of their bare skin. They felt the impact of course, but the arrows themselves did no damage to them. In response, Blackheart took his sword and held it above his head before spitting out the loudest roar he was capable of. It had the desired effect: the leader stopped smiling and the group that had came at them looked much, much more uncertain of what they were about to do.

The orc leader gave a second, similar command and the archers volleyed again, this time Blackheart and many of the other night elves bared their chests or shook their weapons, easily taking and deflecting the arrows while they let loose cries of battle. Once the third volley came and went harmlessly, Blackheart called over his shoulder to Kalara. "How are you holding up?"

She gave him a wicked grin. "I haven't even broken a sweat yet."

"Well, just make sure that YOU don't get hit by an arrow and keep it up."

"Take some down for me, Furball."

He turned back to face the commanding orc who now seemed furious that his initial tactic hadn't worked. With a roar of outrage, he pulled out two throwing axes and threw them, one after the other at Blackheart. The first one he let strike him in the chest, smirking as it bounced off harmlessly. The second one he caught in mid air, rared back, and launched it at the leader who dodged it. The orc behind him wasn't so lucky, letting out a grunt and looking down to see a throwing axe buried in his chest before he collapsed.

Seeing one of their own die was too much for the rest of the orcs. With a roar they charged Blackheart's line, streaming around the commander who was still staring at Blackheart with rage and disbelief. The line of Blackheart's warriors took up their weapons, planted their feet, and prepared to meet the charge.

The orcs were at fifteen paces, then ten, and then they were crashing into his line and chaos broke loose. It was like a tidal wave of orcs had struck upon the shore of defenders and was trying to wash them away. The initial rush had pushed them back a step, but they hadn't been pushed past that. Total carnage surrounded Blackheart as the night elves cut down the orcs in overwhelming numbers while the orcs couldn't seem to harm them. The defenders very skin turned away blows that should have cut them down. When a short break in the fight presented itself to Blackheart, he yelled, "Archers, volley!" Barely over the top of his head came a volley of arrows, cutting down the unprepared orcs that were four and five ranks behind the front line. The smell of blood and death that permeated the air… this was something familiar to Blackheart. Not flying through the air in a ship or giant tornadoes that could rip trees out of the ground. Pure and simple combat was what he could excel at.

And excel at it he did, cutting down enough orcs that he had to start standing on top of him. Lucky for him, the claws on his toes were able to find hold in the bodies of the orcs under him. Unlucky for the orcs climbing up to him, they had poor footing. The next that came up to him, a particularly ugly one with scars crossing his face and arms, swung a mighty hammer, trying to take his feet out from under him… but the worgen suddenly wasn't there. The orc looked around confused before looking up to see Blackheart coming down from his vertical leap, his large claymore leading the way. The orc put up his hammer's handle to block, but that did little to slow his descent as the combined weight of Blackheart and his claymore cut through the hammer, the orcs head, and lodged in the collar bone.

He was still struggling to dislodge the sword when he saw the commanding orc walk slowly towards him. When he got within striking range he hoisted his axe and made a powerful sideways chop at Blackheart's head. Even with the stoneskin, that could easily break his neck from the force of it. A few of the warriors around him had already been replaced where a hammer or axe had hit them in the head, knocking them unconscious. As the axe came in, he ducked under it and uppercutted the flat side of the massive blade with his fist, sending it high before lashing out with his foot and catching the orc in the chest, sending him tumbling down the hill. Giving one final tug, his sword popped free, splattering him with gore.

He held his sword up in the air then and bellowed "glaives!" before chopping it down. True to Synthiana's word, he felt the glaive whistle just over his head as it descended into the mass, chopping down any orc unlucky enough to come into contact with it. Even with each glaive that cleared the line taking down a large number of orcs, there seemed to be no end to them. Next to him he saw a night elf cry out in pain as a dagger stabbed into his thigh. He turned to look at Kalara; she was covered in sweat. Blearily she said, "I can't keep this up much longer…"

When he turned back, the commander orc was there, smiling at him with a feral grin. He knew now that the defenders could be harmed. Things were about to get worse. Behind the commanding orc, he saw another orc wearing what looked to be a wolf pelt. At the commander's nod, the shaman raised his hand and, before Blackheart could dodge, sent out a blast of frost that struck him in the chest and sent him hurtling backwards. Seeing this, the commander orc raised his axe over his head, issued a bellow and charged up the bodies of his fallen comrades. He and the orc shaman went over the bodies, hoping to break through the line, but only those two made it. The orcs that attempted to follow were cut off as night elves quickly took up the position and effectively closed them in.

Blackheart knew almost immediately what had happened. He had been hit with a frost shock much like that before, when Kalara had accidentally struck him with one. This one wasn't as powerful as the one Kalara had hit him with, but it was still painful nonetheless. It chilled his chest to the bone and it was hard to breathe, as if his insides were freezing up. Kalara, still intent on the earth totem, didn't have the concentration to heal him and keep up the defensive enchantment. As the worgen struggled to stand, the two orcs approached him. Luckily, Blackheart had retained hold of his sword and he brought it up into a defensive position as he tried to regain his breath.

The lead orc, Rognar, didn't waste any time pressing his advantage, and soon it was all Blackheart could do to keep up with the furious axe swings from his opponent. His vision was starting to dim and he was seeing black spots; his lungs felt like ice and they just would not work. He was looking for something that would level the playing field… something to give him at least a moment's breath. When he looked behind the axe wielding orc to see the shaman fire off a bolt of lightning at Kalara, he didn't need to look any further to find strength. A wave of anger coursed through him at seeing someone attack Kalara, quickly replacing the black dots clouding his vision with a haze of red. Whether the tightness in his chest was gone or not, it wasn't affecting him anymore. With his new found strength he was easily parrying the blows from Rognar, and was now pushing back with his own offense.

Kalara had been so focused on trying to keep up the stone skin enchantment that she had only barely registered Blackheart being knocked down when a lightning bolt struck the pillar of earth in front of her, knocking her totem away and breaking the enchantment. As she ducked behind the pillar, she could hear more bolts of lightning strike it, as well as the night elves dying because they were no longer protected from the hordes or orcs. She needed to take care of this shaman, and fast. Before she could attack though, she sensed a gathering of elemental energies in her opponent. Knowing what was coming, she quickly rolled away from the pillar of earth moments before a great blob of lava engulfed it and the area she had previously occupied.

Sparing a glance at Blackheart to make sure he was ok, and from the way the orc he was fighting was now on the defensive she assumed he was just fine, she stared down her opponent and prepared to fight. She had never fought a shaman before. She knew from her shaman teacher though that, while most fights between spell casters such as mages and warlocks required a degree of cunning to anticipate and then counter the spells being used, fights between shamans were simpler. The very nature of their relationship to the elements allowed them to know what their opponent was doing at basically all times, and a duel between them nearly always resorted to the brute strength of their elemental masteries This gave Kalara hope; while she wasn't particularly cunning, when it came to strength of elements she was very, very strong. Even though she had only stopped channeling the stone skin enchantment a few moments ago she felt refreshed and nearly back up to full strength.

The orc shaman threw his hand forward and sent out a shock of frost at her, much like the one that had hit Blackheart. Acting on her instincts to guide her she let her hand be engulfed in flames as it was drawn upwards then she slashed down and to the side, batting the ball of ice away from her easily, feeling none of its iciness and very little of its impact. She was surprised at how easy that had been and, from the look on the orc's face, so was he. The shaman went for another fire attack next, sweeping his hands from his waist to over his head. As he did the motion, a large blob of fire and magma erupted from the ground. He then snapped his hands forward towards Kalara and the molten blob did the same, surging towards her. Again she let instinct guide her, this time delving into earth to counter the fire. With one hand she punched upwards, upper cutting wither her fist while the earth followed her motions, forming a small wall that stopped the lava. The next motion she made she flattened her hand and swung it down, and the wall that had stopped the lava now buried it in the ground where it could do no harm.

Furious, the orc unleashed his final attack: lightning. This was it, the final exchange; this was the true test of their strengths. The orc took a wide stance and put both his hands forward, calling all of his energy to bear. He would unleash a continuous arc of lightning and soon they would see which of them was the strongest.

The words of Master Tuluun rang in her brain, and for a moment she recalled a much younger version of herself being instructed by the old broken. "Most shaman against shaman battles result in a contest of strength, of brute force, and nothing is easier to channel your energy into that lightning. Lightning represents a primal fury that all things can respect. When it comes down to it, all you have to do is throw as much lightning as hard as you can at your opponent. If you're stronger, you win. It's as simple as that."

She mimicked the orc then, taking a wide, strong stance and at the same instant they unleashed the lightning they had been storing up. The arcs from both sides met in the middle with a thunderous crash, causing the fighting all around them to pause and watch for a few moments before returning to battle. It wasn't every day that you saw two shamans tethered to each other by channels of lightning.

When the energy of their attacks met, the orc smiled in triumph as he exerted himself to the limit. He had been in shamanistic duels before with other orcs and knew that when it came to this, you had to go as hard and as fast as possible from the start. His revelry in the fact that his opponent was inexperienced increased as the meeting point of their lightning got closer and closer to her. Soon it would be over, and he could turn his attention to that pesky worgen that was battling his commander. He watched as it moved closer… closer… yes, there it was, he was now channeling energy straight into the palm of the draenei's hand… but something was wrong. She wasn't convulsing from muscle spasms or screaming in pain. When he looked up at her face, he knew how overmatched he was. The shaman wasn't in pain at all… she was smiling at him. That wasn't good. She moved one hand away and was holding all of his energy at bay with only the other hand… this also was not good. He saw her eyes spark with electricity… that definitely wasn't normal and, he assumed, not a good sign either. He could see arcs of electricity running the length of her body, coalescing in her free hand. She stretched that hand towards him and, following a flash of light, it seemed as if he was instantly looking from her face up into the rapidly darkening clouds, and then he knew no more.

After the explosive end to the shaman's duel Rognar knew he was in trouble. The savage offensive that the worgen was putting on him, now with his eyes glowing a violent, angry red, was becoming too much to bear. The only thing he was thankful for was that the wide powerful swings were big and telegraphed, which meant easy to predict.

The orc waited for a big swing, biding his time and completely on the defensive now. He was parrying and dodging, pushing himself to the limits. Finally, such a large swing came in from the worgen that he saw his opportunity to attack. Aiming his axe just right he swung with all his might and struck the blade of Blackheart's claymore just above the grip, wrenching it from the worgen's hands and leaving him weaponless. Rognar shouted in triumph thinking that he could finally overrun his opponent. He stepped forward and let loose a huge, tree cutting type of swing. Instead of retreating though, the worgen charged forward inside the swing of the axe and grabbed the hilt of the weapon, stopping the attack. Rognar took a firmer grip thinking to push the worgen away with brute force. When he pushed against Blackheart, he was surprised that it was his own feet that slid backwards. Pushing against the worgen had about as much effect as pushing against a large boulder. He could hear the worgen growling and, slowly, he felt Blackheart's true strength come out: he was being forced down to the ground. His legs were groaning in protest at the sheer amount of pressure that the beast in front of him was putting on him. He could see the worgen's snarling face, very close to his own, and in Blackheart's angry red eyes he saw only death.

Rognar's legs finally gave out, and he stumbled, fell, and was now on his back trying his best to keep the worgen at bay. The worgen leaned in closer, his jaws parting and still emitting that feral growl. He knew what was going to happen, and hoped that he would die quickly from the lack of throat he was about to experience. As he looked up at the sky, everything started to grow dark. At first he thought it must have happened already, that he was laying on the field dying, but then the worgen released some of the pressure on him. The orc looked up to see Blackheart looking around, confused, and he knew that something else was going on… but the sky was still nearly pitch black in the middle of the day. To his great surprise the worgen released him of the pressure then stood, transfixed on something in the distance. He almost took advantage of the lapse in his foe's concentration, but when the sounds of battle also died away he knew something more important than taking down his opponent was happening. He stood and turned around, looking over the mound of corpses and understood what had calmed the battlefield so.

A few hundred paces away, over the middle of his group of orcs, the clouds were swirling into a vortex above them, blotting out the sun. The temperature was rising as well, and he thought he could smell… sulfur. That was odd. He heard a low muttering in common and looked to see the draenei latched onto the worgen's arm, a look of fear across her face. After what she had done to his shaman, if she feared something after taking him down then something bad was definitely about to happen. His common was a bit rusty, but she finally said something that he did understand.

"It's coming."

And come it did; a mighty vortex of fire dropped from the sky, scouring the earth where it struck of all life, including the orcs unfortunate enough to be standing there. Those at ground zero were the luckiest, dying on impact. The ones that were a little ways further off were not so lucky. Rognar could see those orcs running from the site, bursting into flames as if their very flesh was flammable, and he could hear the screams of the dying. The rest of the horde scattered away from the area, some fleeing back towards their camp, the others surging towards the night elves who, to his surprise, let them pass. When the fiery storm receded into the clouds, it left several creatures standing at the sight of impact amid the smoking remains of the fallen. They were very tall and looked like fiery, demonic naga. Most of the mortals around him, orcs and night elves both, knew what they were just from their appearance. They were flamewakers… Ragnaros' servants. This did not bode well at all.

In a magically amplified voice that, when heard, seemed to carry heat with it, the one in the center pronounced, "Behold lowly beings! Ragnaros the Firelord has risen… and today all of Azeroth shall know his fury!" Once his proclamation had finished, he held the staff he was carrying aloft and the other flamewakers with him did the same. Beams shot from their staffs to meet above the group, and bright red sphere started to form. Once they completed the sphere, the fiery vortex came crashing back on top of them and when it receded, only the sphere remained. It was roughly the size of an orc… but it was growing. Within moments it was taller and wider than a house, and that's when it opened.

As if red curtains were drawn aside, the sphere became a portal and a host of fire elementals poured out, leaving trails of flame behind them as they attacked the nearest orcs. They were easily slaughtering them, consuming them in flames.

He turned to Kalara then. "How do we fight these things?"

"Aim for their bracers, or whatever it is that binds them to this plane. They can't exist here without being bound."

Rognar was transfixed, looking at his orcs trying to attack the fire elementals. For the most part, their weapons just passed through the fire before the elemental consumed them. He felt himself being shaken and looked to see the worgen getting his attention. "Do you speak common?" it asked. He nodded. "Tell them to hit the bracers, or whatever isn't made of fire." And with that the worgen had reclaimed his sword and was charging towards the portal, his shaman and the rest of the night elves in tow. This was definitely bigger than Horde against Alliance. Taking up his battle axe, Rognar was close behind the worgen, gathering up orcs as he went and telling them how to take down the elementals.

Blackheart made his way through the still retreating orcs until he met the first fire elemental. The heat coming off the thing was intense and he was glad for the fur that stood between his skin and it. Letting loose a roar he charged, sword raised, at the elemental. It stopped and seemed to patiently wait for him, even spreading its arms wide so that Blackheart could have a free strike at its chest. When Blackheart was close enough to attack though, he planted his foot, pivoted, and brought all of his weight with his sword down, not upon its chest, but upon the large bracer on its arm. The elemental saw what was happening and tried to move… but it was too late. The sword cleaved the bracer in two and with an angry howl the elemental seemed to spin around a few times, shrinking as it did, before finally disappearing.

At the death of one of their own, the invasion slowed slightly as they took a new respect for the worgen. At the same time, a war cry came from orcs and night elves alike as they waded in, striking at the bracers while trying to avoid being consumed by the fiery bodies of the elementals. Kalara and Blackheart went in at a tandem fury, cutting a swath through the elementals. They were too slow for Blackheart as he worked quickly to cut their bracers off. Kalara took a different approach, unleashing her powerful array of elemental magic upon them and destroying them completely. Most devastating was her ability to shock their bracers with frost which froze the elementals in place, allowing the orcs and night elves to easily cut them down.

After a few minutes of fighting, the tide seemed to be turning. The orcs that were on the other side of the portal had learned the tactic to kill them and now, instead of a surprise attack, the elementals were besieged on all sides. The sheer number of combatants that the elementals had to face was forcing them back to the portal. Within the hour, with the exception of a few pockets of resistance, the elementals had been decimated. Soon, only the portal remained, a great fiery sphere that was too hot too approach. Both orcs and night elves had taken heavy casualties fighting the elementals, but they seemed to be gone at last.

"Can you close that thing?" Blackheart asked Kalara.

She looked at the huge portal doubtfully. "I don't know… maybe. I've never closed a portal before…"

"You'd never stopped a magical tornado or brought someone back from the dead before either." Blackheart said, laying a slightly charred hand on her shoulder. "You seemed to do just fine there."

Sighing, she absentmindedly healed his hand, watching as the blisters recessed into the skin and the hair grew back. "True, I suppose I'll ask the elementals for…" She was interrupted by a near deafening roar that shook the very earth.

There was silence following the roar as the host of enemies turned allies stood, waiting to see what was next. Something appeared out of the portal, standing as tall as Blackheart. It appeared as though a huge blob of lava and rocks had been plopped down on the ground. Another set of lava and rocks appeared a few paces across from it, floating through the air out of the portal. This time though, as it continued forward and more came out from the portal Blackheart saw that it was not just a stack of lava… it was the bottom part of a leg. As the leg stepped out, the body of the largest creature, next to Deathwing, Blackheart had ever seen stepped out of the portal. It stood to its full height, at least thirty feet tall, an elemental composed of lava, rocks, and pure fire with a roughly humanoid shape. Once it exited the portal it let loose another roar.

He looked to Kalara, who was still staring up at the thing. The only thing she could say pretty well summed up what he was thinking. "Oh bloody hell."


	22. Chapter 22 Elemental

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 22

Elemental

When the elemental finished getting onto the field, the planar gate winked out of existence. Blackheart could only stare up at the huge elemental standing before him. Could nothing ever be simple? He heard a string of Orcish coming from the one eyed orc beside him which he assumed to be a great deal of cursing. It would definitely fit the situation. He turned to Kalara. "Any ideas at all?"

She looked at the size of the thing for a few moments before she responded. "I'll need time... a lot of time. See if you can hold him off for a while."

Blackheart took another look at the big elemental that was now slowly approaching them. "Hold him off? How?"

"I don't know," she said quietly before she pulled his head down and gave him a quick peck on his furry cheek. "Just be safe," she whispered before she ran towards the night elf encampment.

Blackheart took his claymore in a two handed grip and readied himself for the oncoming monstrosity. If Kalara needed some time, he would do his best to give her time. Being safe though… that was going to be a real challenge. He looked over to the orc beside him then, who he had been ready to kill earlier. It seemed odd to him how things turned around so quickly. "The name's Blackheart." He said to the orc.

"Rognar," the orc responded. "So your woman has a plan to stop this, and we have to hold it off. How do ya think we're gonna do it?"

"Well," Blackheart responded hefting his sword and starting move forward, "I'm just going to have to start with hitting it and go from there." With that he charged forward at the approaching behemoth. The thing was over three times his size and, as he charged forward, he saw where he would start his attack. A grim wave of amusement passed through him for a moment: This must be what a gnome feels like. He was going for the kneecaps.

As Blackheart got within the creatures reach it roared before it rared back and tried to squish the running worgen. Blackheart could hear the rocks that made up its body grinding against each other as the thing moved and watched it swing at him. He had to stop his charge and roll out of the way to avoid becoming a bloody splotch on the ground. The thing was quicker than he had anticipated, and the impact of its fist hitting the ground jarred his teeth and left a sizable dent in the earth. There would be no coming back from getting hit by that. Quickly recovering from the roll he charged forward past the now retracting arm of the elemental and swung his sword at what would have been its knee. In a shower of sparks and bits of rock, the sword rebounded off with a great 'clang' and vibrated in his hands nearly numbing them. It had about as much effect as he had feared. The elemental must have felt it though, because it gave a great howl of anger and kicked at him.

Blackheart quickly rolled out of the way and tried to figure out how on Azeroth he was going to tackle this thing. At least he had its attention, which meant that Kalara had some time to do… whatever it was she planned on doing. Once the things foot touched back down he heard another loud clang a few paces away and looked to see Rognar trying to keep hold of his axe after it rebounded from the elemental's other knee. The orc wasn't quite as fast as Blackheart and this time when the elemental lashed out the orc was clipped in the shoulder and sent rolling away.

Seeing their commander take some damage, a few of the orcs roared and charged the elemental. Blackheart yelled for them to stay back, waving his hands and trying to shoo them away, but it had no effect. Three of them charged forward, weapons raised, straight to their deaths. The elemental saw them coming and, much like it tried to do to Blackheart, swung its fist down and ended one of their lives with a sickening crunch. The other two made it a bit farther, both going to work attacking the leg where Rognar had struck, but doing very little damage. The elemental lashed out, catching one full in the chest with a kick and sending him flying to where he landed and laid still many paces away. The last one was still whacking away at the thing's leg with a large warhammer when it picked the orc up in its massive grip. The orc gave a cry of pain, dropping its weapon, as he was slowly crushed and burned before the elemental slammed him into the ground, leaving little more than a pile of gore.

Blackheart charged back in, ducking under the elementals grasping hands and rolled between the behemoth's legs to come up behind it. He started furiously hacking away, slowly chipping away at the rock and lava that made up the backside of the creature's leg. He hissed in pain and nearly dropped his sword as a chunk of the molten rock broke off and landed on his arm, burning it badly. One of these days he was going to need a real set of armor. Once the large chunk broke off the elemental roared again, but this time it was different; it was a roar of pain. It seemed he had finally injured it. Before he could press his attack he had to run out of the way as the thing spun around, trying to clobber him as he presented his front to Blackheart. Now the thing seemed completely focused on him and it was a bit harder to dodge the earth shaking slams of its fists each time.

As it rared back its great fist once more to try and smash him, it gave another roar of pain. Blackheart spared a glance down and saw Rognar with his feet planted in a wide, powerful stance as he swung his axe repeatedly into the back of the elemental's knee, roughly where Blackheart had taken out a chunk. He looked like he was trying to chop down a very large, very angry tree, methodically cutting out a wedge shaped chunk out of the elemental's leg. Molten rock was splattering all around Rognar as he chipped away at the thing's leg and he seemed to be ignoring the bits the landed on him. Blackheart had to give him credit for that; he knew firsthand how hot it was and how much it burnt.

The elemental soon had enough of the orc hacking away at his leg, and soon turned and slammed his fist down, trying to crush Rognar. Blackheart took this as his cue to mete out some punishment. As he ran forward though, he heard a cry of pain and looked to see what he had been hoping to avoid: Rognar, a bit slower than Blackheart, had been caught by the huge elemental and was struggling to get out of the things grasp. He had his axe in both hands hammering down on the thing's wrist, but to no avail.

As Blackheart was running forward, he saw the back of the elemental's leg where Rognar had been cutting away and a wedge of it was bright red… almost as if the main layer of rock had been cut away and exposed. That was his only chance at doing both permanent damage to the thing and to save the orc. Saving an orc… not something he typically did ever day. Then again, after being turned into a worgen his life had stopped being typical.

The elemental was raring back, ready to smash Rognar into the ground as he had done with the other orc, when Blackheart came into the range of its leg. Running at full speed he leapt, sailing through the air and driving the point of his sword with every ounce of strength he could deep into the elemental's leg. With a roar of pain, the elemental stumbled a bit and, though Rognar was still in its grip, it hadn't turned him into a bloody pulp yet. Blackheart shoved as hard as he could on his sword, but it wouldn't budge any further into the leg. He knew he needed to do more damage before the orc was killed… and before his sword melted. As he was preparing to shove the sword in further he stepped on something he realized was the answer to his problem: the warhammer that the other orc had dropped.

Quickly hefting the large two handed hammer, Blackheart planted his feet wide to get more power and swung with all of his considerable might at the hilt of his sword that was jutting out from the leg of the elemental. His aim was true and with a tremendous crack the tip of his claymore exploded out of the front side of the elemental's knee. The elemental roared in agony again, this time dropping Rognar to the ground as it clutched at its ruined leg.

As Rognar hit the ground he lay stunned for a few moments, trying to regain his breath. He knew he probably had several broken ribs, as well as many burns along his body and legs. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened… the thing was about to slam him into the ground like it did his grunt and then… something had happened and it had dropped him. Not one to dwell on things he didn't understand too well, he struggled to get up and take advantage of the situation. As he got to his feet, he noticed the elemental grasping at its knee where a familiar sword point jutted through it… from the back side.

The elemental looked up to see Rognar standing, let go of his knee, and took a step forward as if to make another grab for him. When it put weight on its injured knee, however, it shattered, sending bits of molten rock and Blackheart's sword, now glowing cherry red, flying in all directions. The elemental made a noise that Rognar could only interpret as… surprise, and started to fall forward. The orc started back peddling as fast as his legs would carry him. The elemental was falling straight towards him and, even if it was tall, it wouldn't take very long for it to hit the ground. The thing slammed into the ground so close to him that it knocked him off his feet as a rush of hot air came out from the thing. That, Rognar decided, had been entirely too close.

Once back on his feet, Rognar continued to back away. Any hopes that the creature was dead were dashed when it used its great arms to push itself upright and let out a bellow right in Rognar's face. It was definitely not happy. The elemental behemoth slowly raised itself off the ground with its arms before kneeling unsteadily on its good leg. It raised one its massive arms and swung it downwards at Rognar. The orc barely dodged to the side in time as it slammed the earth where he had previously been, putting another large dent into the ground. He was still lying on the ground when it rared its other arm back, and for what must have been the fourth time that day, he knew it was all over. As the elemental's arm started to descend, he looked up and was momentarily blinded by a bright light striking the elemental. When the spots cleared from his vision, he saw a stream of lightning pouring into the elemental. He looked back behind him to see Kalara channeling the lightning at the elemental, trying to hold him in place.

Blackheart saw the lightning striking the elemental as well and was immensely glad that Kalara was back and, presumably, ready to solve the situation. What he didn't understand was why she was standing on top of a glaive thrower. As if to answer, she gave one last push of lightning that left the large elemental momentarily stunned and laid her hands on the glaive. A look of utmost concentration passed over her face as she held onto the glaive. As Blackheart moved closer, he understood some of what was going on. He could smell a massive amount of elemental energy coalescing _inside_ the glaive. Her hair was starting to stand on end and he could see sparks arcing between her hands on the glaive; she was charging it up somehow. He ran to her as quickly as he could, not sure if he could help, but wanting to be there regardless.

The elemental roared once more and Kalara knew that her chance was up and it was time to see if her idea worked. Just as Blackheart reached her she yelled to Synthiana, "Fire!" and let loose another salvo of lightning at the elemental. She heard the strain of the glaive launcher and almost felt the whoosh of the huge glaive as it spun towards its target. Small arcs of electricity passed between the glaive and the ground as it traveled towards the elemental. The huge thing's final roar was cut short as the glaive slammed into its chest, sawing part of the way through before releasing all of the built up energy and exploding in a wave of elemental fury. She was suddenly on the ground as Blackheart covered her from the rain of shrapnel, super heated rock and glaive alike, that was raining down around them. She noticed him wince a few times and could smell burnt hair as what must have been a super heated glob splattered onto him, but still he didn't move. As the rain of destruction seemed to come to an end Blackheart started to raise himself up off of her, but she stopped him by holding onto his face. Letting herself delve into the flows of elemental energy once more, she closed her eyes and called upon the power of water and felt it flow through her and into him, healing all of the burns he had received from fighting the huge elemental.

When she finished she opened her eyes and noticed him staring at her intently. "That was amazing." He said. "I don't know how you did it, but once again you saved all of us." He leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek for a second before standing up and helping her to her feet.

"Well it's not like it was just me, you held it off and Synthiana hit the thing in the end."

Blackheart turned to survey the now smoldering ruins of the elemental. It was a fairly magnificent sight to behold. There was a large crater in the ground where the elemental had been standing and parts of its body were still distinguishable: an arm here, a leg there, a hand, fingers clenched into a fist, a few paces away. And there, slowly crawling towards the orc encampment, was Rognar.

Taking Kalara's hand, he headed towards the downed orc. It seemed as if he had escaped a great deal of the blast, but he was still badly injured. When Kalara saw him she made her way past the smoldering remains of the elemental and started pouring her healing magic into him. He was hurt pretty bad from what she could see, favoring his ribs and covered in burns. He closed his eyes as the healing took hold of him and relaxed while the blisters from the burns were covered with new skin and his ribs worked back into place. She had just enough magic to heal him before she was finally exhausted. Her head was starting to throb from the strain. Dueling with a shaman, fighting off an elemental invasion, and killing a giant elemental had finally taken its toll on her. Beside her, Blackheart helped her too her feet, and then offered his clawed hand to the orc.

Rognar considered it for a moment before taking it and being helped to his feet. "Thanks." He said to both of them before surveying the area around them. It was pretty devastated… and if Ragnaros was back more would likely come. He turned to see the worgen he had fought beside picking up the ruined remains of his sword. It was twisted and deformed where it had been inside the elemental's body for so long. His own waraxe lay near the fallen behemoth, luckily unharmed.

As Blackheart examined the sword a wave of sadness passed over him. While he wasn't one to name his weapons or anything of the sort, this sword had been with him since he had met Kalara and now it, along with his shield, were destroyed. Only his chainmail was left, and it had seen better days. There were quite a few damaged links, and one particular spot on the leg coverings that seemed to always pull at his hair. With a sad sort of reverence, he buried the sword blade first in the ground, wincing as the middle bent and snapped in half from the weakness. He dropped the hilt to rest beside it as Kalara wrapped her hands around his arm.

She looked up at him and could sense his sadness over losing the weapon. "Hey furry, we'll get you a new pokey stick ok?" She was relieved when he chuckled and smiled at her before turning back to face the orc.

After he watched Rognar pick up his waraxe, he asked, "Well… what now?"

Rognar looked around, seeing his forces intermingled with the night elves. Now that the mutual enemy was gone, their alliance most likely would not last for very long. "Right now I need to report this to the rest of the Horde. I'm sure your night elves need to do the same. If the Firelord is back… well we've got bigger problems than trying to capture this outpost." As he turned to leave he bellowed something out in orcish and the remained of his troops started moving back towards their camp. Turning back to Blackheart he said, "Maybe we'll meet again. Hopefully we'll be on the same side the whole time then." He turned back and walked off towards the camp.

When they returned with all of the night elves to the post, Miakoda came out to greet them. Blackheart could smell something was off with her. Her mood was one of disappointment, and it seemed to be directed at herself. She searched both of their faces before bowing her head and saying quietly, "I'm sorry."

Kalara's confusion mirrored Blackheart's own as he looked from the draenei to the tauren. "Sorry for what?"

"I abandoned both of you… merely so I wouldn't have to kill a few orcs. I should never have held back. Both of you have helped me out more than any orc ever has. It was the damned green skins that conscripted me and Kuruk and sent us after the Twilight in the first place. If not for you two… well I'd be dead like Kuruk now." She stopped when she felt Blackheart's hand on one arm and Kalara's on the other.

Blackheart spoke first. "Miakoda… you did what you thought was right. That is all that you can ever do. I don't hold that against you at all."

Kalara spoke up next, agreeing with Blackheart. "Yeah! I mean, you've done your fair share of helping us out already. Plus, I'm sure we're gonna have to have your help to get down through the Barrens and Mulgore to get you home. You can vouch for what upstanding mortals we are and maybe the Horde there will leave us alone!"

Their talk lifted the tauren's spirits a little, but Blackheart could still smell the sadness in her. He knew then that they had done as much as was possible for her and she would have to come to terms with her choices on her own. Synthiana approached them then.

"I've got what remains of our healers working to get everyone stable. I also ordered some of the night elves in better shape to retrieve our dead... and to unstack the orcs and lay them out in a better fashion. So what are we going to do now?"

Blackheart turned to her, saying, "It sounds to me like you've got most everything under control. I imagine you're going to have to keep these night elves together and send word to Lor'danel and let them know what happened here. Rognar may take his orcs and go, for now, but if the Horde want this place you'll need some reinforcements." He pointed to the sentinels he recognized from the port city earlier. "I'd send them, that way their captain knows what happened to them."

"What are you three going to do? We could really use your help here." She asked.

"Well… we already had our own journey to attend to. For now, let's just say we hope to not run into any more excitement for a while." He turned away from her then and walked out of the post, Kalara to one side and Miakoda to the other, leaving the night elves to fend for themselves. He'd done enough fighting for one day. He seemed to be noticing a recurring theme of late. Wherever he went he would drop in, help the people out, and then move on. One of these days he was going to be able to finally settle down. Before he was too far away he could hear Synthiana shouting orders out and finally coming into a commanding role. She'd do just fine.

* * *

They started out traveling on the road to get out of Ashenvale, but a few hours in Blackheart took them off the road and headed in a North Easterly direction. Kalara didn't understand their course exactly. "Wouldn't it be easier to just stay on the road, since we have to eventually go south to get out of this area?"

He nodded, but said, "It could be easier, but I would like to stay off the road for now."

She noticed he seemed distracted and had been near him long enough to know when something was bothering him. And something definitely had his attention now aside from her question about the road. She could see he was almost leaning forward when walking, as if following some kind of scent or urging to get where he was headed. From the way he was snapping twigs in the underbrush, she knew something was off. For him to not be paying attention to how he was traveling through the forest, something was off. She even saw him trip over an exposed root… and she couldn't remember ever seeing him trip over anything for as long as she had known him.

They had been traveling this way for over an hour when the trees around them seemed to get thicker, choking out more of the light coming from above. The area took on a gloomy appearance and it gave her the chills. She couldn't see anything in particular about this place that said it was evil, but the sense that it gave her said otherwise. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and she almost jumped when Miakoda spoke silently to her.

"Do you know where we are headed?" The tauren asked quietly. Kalara shook her head no. "I think I do… and I don't know that I want to be."

"Where?" The draenei asked.

"The Howling Vale."

Kalara only had a moment to consider the implications when Blackheart stopped dead in his tracks. She looked around to see what was the matter. Fifteen paces in front of him was a stream with a lone tree next to it, but closer at hand she noticed something metal laying on the ground, partially covered by leaves and the growth of the underbrush. Blackheart slowly bent down and brushed the plant matter away to reveal a blood stained shield with a crest on it that looked like a golden anchor. It was, if she remembered correctly, the crest of Theramore. Blackheart gently lifted the shield from the ground and carried forward a few paces and stopped once again in front of a sword sticking out of the ground. Beneath the sword were the picked-clean bones of some kind of creature, apparently impaled by the sword. She moved closer as he drew the sword from the ground. It was a well made longsword and the cross guard had a familiar looking wolf's head carved into it. Compared to Blackheart's old claymore it was a bit shorter and lighter, but still a sword that could be wielded with one or two hands. The blade looked to be in good condition, which was strange for as long as it must have been buried in the ground. Blackheart quietly examined the sword as she looked at the bones that had been under it. She realized, upon closer inspection, that they were the bones of a worgen.

When she looked back to the sword, more specifically at the cross guard, something tugged at her memory about its unique design. Reaching down through the neck of her shirt she pulled the medallion that Blackheart had given her what seemed like so long ago. She examined the cool metal pendant of a wolf's head on a many sided star that was made of mithril. The design of the pendant matched the one on the crossguard exactly… which meant that the sword must have been Blackheart's.

"This… was my father's sword. They brought it to me when he never came home."

Blackheart walked the rest of the way to the tree before she had a chance to respond, realization of what this place was quickly coming to her. The tree only had one feature that made it distinguishable from all of the other trees around it: Three very distinct scratches gouged out of the trunk. Blackheart raised his hand up to it, extended his claws, and traced them. The size and spread of his claws was a perfect fit to the tree, and it was then that she knew for sure. This was where he'd had his humanity stripped from him. When he finished running his hand along the trunk she heard a clang as he dropped the sword and shield and fell to his knees in front of the stream. Kalara was at his side in an instant.

To come back to the place of such a horrible memory… she could imagine what it was like. Every time she had entered the Exodar all she could think about was her parents dying as it crashed. She walked in front of him, blocking his view of the stream. He looked up to her for a moment and she could see the loss in his eyes. She had never known him to be bitter about becoming a worgen. He never seemed to complain about anything, and if he had not become a worgen she would not have met him… would not have even been alive to do so. But in this place, where the event occurred, she could sense his loss. Kalara reached out and pulled his head in to hug him, trying to be as comforting as possible. As she hugged him to her chest, she finally felt life come back to him and he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. She started slowly running her hands through his fur, scratching slightly as she did.

"This…" Blackheart said quietly, "is where I discovered what I had become. A ways back the way we came is where my group was attacked. I... I can't remember their names anymore. Two of us were killed almost instantly and I held the rest together for another minute or so. We lost so many so fast that we ended up breaking ranks and running for it. The bones were one of the worgen that attacked me. After I ran him through I couldn't get my sword out so I ran. Before that I had knocked one of them out with my shield, but it had a grip on it so I had to let it go. When I got here though…" He went silent for a few moments and she felt his grip on her tighten. She kept her hold and ran her hand down the back of his head, petting him in a soothing manner. "When I got here, there was one left. When I saw it, I knew for sure I was dead… after the bite he gave me I assumed I would bleed out. When I awoke though, the pain was gone but something else had replaced it. My mind was… foggy. Almost like I was drunk, but I didn't have any problem walking. Something seemed to be trying to intrude on my thoughts, almost like a voice in my head that was just out of hearing. I made it to this stream, and that's where I saw what I was. At the time I couldn't remember what had happened, but I knew the face staring back at me was horribly wrong."

She held him for a few more moments before kneeling down in front of him and bringing his face around to look at hers. "Well, you know what happened now. You know who you are, where you came from, and that you're not alone any more. I'm right here with you and I always will be." She bumped her forehead against his and held it there for a moment, just enjoying the closeness. "Come on sweety," she said quietly, just for him. "Let's get away from here."

Once they got up, Blackheart retrieved his old sword and shield from the ground. He didn't understand how they had kept up so well over the years; maybe it was something about this place. It was almost as if they were still waiting for him. He hefted the sword slicing through the air, the familiar weight of it coming back to him. When his father had died they had never returned with a body, only with his sword. When he had joined the military, he had taken it down from the attic of their small house. A few memories came untangled and floated up to him then. He was back in his house, his mother and siblings all watching him silently as he packed his things to go. He knew that, after his father had never returned, they didn't want him to go away as well. But this was something he felt he had to do, and his family knew that once something was set in his mind, there was no stopping it. The memory of that last hug from his mother, of the single tear she had shed as he walked out the door, almost brought him to his knees again. He silently promised them that he would see them soon.

When he was about to put the sword away that familiar sense of approaching danger tingled in the back of his head. He looked around and sniffed the air, but could see nothing. "Something's wrong." He said to his companions. Miakoda strung her bow and fitted and arrow and Kalara prepared what she had left of her magic. Finally a scent wafted to him, and when he recognized it his hairs stood on end. It was the scent of a wild beast; the scent of a worgen. He could think of nothing worse that they could have found. "We're not alone." He said, and as if in answer a blood chilling howl split the air. It was soon joined by two more. Memories of his last experience in the Howling Vale came rushing back to him.

Apparently, all the worgen weren't gone quite yet.


	23. Chapter 23 Howling Vale

A/N: Sorry for the super long delay in the story chapter. I've had a lot personal issues crop up over the last little bit which has interfered with this. Enjoy.

* * *

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 23

Howling Vale

"Oh no…" was all that Kalara could say. She had fought blood elves, demons, and orcs but the thought of fighting something that had the strength and ferocity of Blackheart terrified her. When the howls sounded once more, this time closer, she was physically shaking. Images of Blackheart tearing into his opponents came to her mind and she could almost see it happening to them. It took her a moment to notice that Blackheart was standing directly in front of her with Miakoda at her back. She needed to get it together so she could help out.

Blackheart knew where the attacks were likely to come from if they had kept the same tactics as when his group had been killed last time. That memory brought an unpleasant thought to him: some of these worgen could very well be his old comrades. He would like to somehow bring them back to Darnassus to be cured like the rest of the Gilnean worgen… but if they were going to put Kalara's life in danger then they would never get that chance.

"Mia, watch the tops of the trees more than the ground. One of them is for sure to be up there. One will come straight on, and one will likely come from one side or the other. If there aren't more that is."

The tauren nodded an affirmative before lifting her bow up to watch the trees. She was having much the same thoughts as Kalara, thinking of Blackheart's ferocity on the battlefield, but after hunting raptors in Durotar she had a little bit more mettle than the draenei. She definitely wasn't blaming Kalara though. After a third howl that was much closer again all went deathly silent. She could hear the trees creaking and the water in the stream slowly gurgling, but other than that was dead silence. She kept her focus on the trees, trusting in her other two companions to protect her while on the ground.

She kept her gaze on the trees, remembering her father's words when teaching her to hunt. "You must keep your eyes always open, but not totally focused. If you focus in on one thing, you miss all of the others. You must see everything at once." She kept this in mind, half focusing her eyes on the treetops… and there it was. A slight, sudden movement and she saw the worgen leaping directly down at them. With the confidence of years of practice she raised her bow, following her instincts, and let fly. With a short howl of pain her oversized arrow caught the worgen square in the chest, altering his trajectory so that he flew to the side of the group. It was dead before it hit the ground. She turned her attention to their flanks, trying to spot the next worgen that she could deal with.

The next worgen that came charged straight at Blackheart. With a howl and a burst of speed, it charged even faster than Blackheart could move and leapt for him. A split second of flash back and Blackheart realized he had seen this before, and knew that the simplest way to counter it was to become almost like a porcupine. As the worgen sailed for him he ducked behind his shield and held his longsword out straight, bracing it as best he could. Without the ability to alter its course, the worgen fell upon him, impaling itself on the sword while trying to slash him with its wicked claws over the shield. The impact had jarred Blackheart, but he had kept his footing and, throwing his shield arm forward with as much muscle he could put behind it, sent the previously impaled worgen spiraling off into a tree where it lay still.

Kalara had watched as Miakoda shot the worgen from the trees and Blackheart had taken the one in front down. That meant it was up to her to stop the flanking one. She looked side to side, searching for any form of movement at all. She saw a flash of something black against the green of the underbrush and she cut loose with a blast of lighting, sending a spray of dirt into the air and lighting the bush on fire but missing the worgen. It was still hiding behind the foliage, waiting its chance. If it was going to hide behind cover, she would just have to make sure there was no cover to hide behind. Summoning what little remaining power she had she cut loose with a torrent of lightning, immolating all of the bushes and sending the worgen scurrying out, patches of his fur on fire. He was still barreling straight for her when she cut loose with another torrent of lightning, electrocuting him and throwing him into a tree. Smoke came off of his fur and he spasmed where electricity was still coursing through him, but otherwise he remained still.

Behind Kalara she heard the thrum of the large bow and she turned in time to see Miakoda take down another Worgen that had come from the other side. Her first arrow took it in the shoulder. It roared in defiance and charged again to be stopped by an arrow between its eyes. Her third arrow took the worgen behind it in the chest, piercing its heart before it had a chance to cry out. Turning once more she saw Blackheart fighting with another worgen, this one more measured in its approach. He had just cut it down when she turned back to find one last worgen barreling down on her. As she raised her hands and let out another torrent of lightning the beast leapt out of the way towards a tree where it landed against the bark, seeming to defy gravity, before leaping away again as her lightning blasted the trunk, scouring it and turning the bark black. What was left of the bark anyway. The next time she fired a bolt of lightning her head started throbbing… not a good sign.

As she continued to fire off bolts of lightning the worgen dodged but made its way steadily closer. She had never seen anything as fast as it. Finally as it landed oddly it stumbled and she caught it with a blast of lightning… but as the pain in her head increased to migraine level she saw that she had only stunned it slightly. Shaking off the blast it made a bee line for her. She tried to summon more elemental energy but the best she could do was make a few sparks from her fingertips. After all of her usage that day, she just didn't have any energy left. The worgen was a few paces away when it leapt, snarling with its mouth open, fangs exposed, and its claws posed for the kill. She closed her eyes and waited for it to tear her apart.

When, instead of an impact on her, she heard a roar and a metal clang she opened her eyes to see… nothing. The worgen wasn't there. When she looked to her right she saw Blackheart charging at a full sprint away from her, the angry worgen on his shield trying to claw at him. Before it had a chance to do any real damage Blackheart reached his destination: a sturdy tree. Their impact was followed by a sickening crack and a whimper as the worgen's back was broken. Once it fell to the ground Blackheart dispatched it with his sword.

Blackheart came back over to them, gazing around and listening. He looked like a mess but seemed unhurt. His clothing was cut in many places but the chainmail underneath seemed to have held up to the claws of the worgen that had attacked them. Miakoda was likewise unharmed, if a little shaken.

Kalara was sitting on the ground, not even having the energy to stand. Apparently, she mused, the massive expenditure of her energy had left her completely exhausted. Her head was pounding as well, and it was getting worse. It felt like her brain was slowly exploding, and she could see stars behind her eyes from the pain. It was to the point of making her sick. She had closed her eyes and was massaging her temples when she felt Blackheart scoop her up.

The worgen instantly knew something was wrong when he got near her and she didn't resist him picking her up. He could see her cradling her head and grimacing in pain. "What's wrong?" he asked her quietly.

She moaned for a moment before saying weekly through clenched teeth, "My head." She continued trying to massage her head after that, squinting hard against what little light there was.

"Hold on for a little bit, I'll fix it."

Kalara didn't have the slightest idea what he meant about fixing it. As far as she had ever seen, he didn't have any healing magic. Then again, she knew that when Blackheart said he would do something it would get done without her having to worry about it. Thinking about it made her head hurt more. She opened her eyes to look around once, but quickly shut them. They had moved back into the brighter part of the forest and the light only intensified her headache.

At different times she felt Blackheart bend down and rest her on his knees for a few moments while doing something with his hands and then picking her back up. She also remembered hearing him talk to Miakoda, but his words were lost in the jumble of pain. She honestly didn't remember much about the time she had spent leaning against him, fervently wishing her headache would just slow down a little bit. Her head was still in deep pain when she thought she heard water trickling nearby and short time later felt Blackheart touch something to her lips.

"Drink this." She heard Blackheart say. "It will help."

She wasn't too concerned about what it was she was drinking. As she downed the concoction, she noticed it had a somewhat familiar taste, but something was off with it. As her headache rapidly receded she found that she didn't particularly care what it was, only that it was fixing her. When she opened her eyes she saw Blackheart close at hand, a very concerned look plastered across his canine features.

Blackheart was pleased that she had finally opened her eyes and the sense of pain she was exuding had gone significantly down. The Mageroyal and Peacebloom had been easy enough to find, but the Silverleaf had been rather sparse in this particular area of the forest, but he had found enough to put Master Tuluun's mixture for headaches together. Thankfully, it had worked.

When Kalara had finally opened her eyes she gave him a grateful look. "Thank you. I don't know what you did to make that drink, but I'm glad that you did." She rested a few moments in his arms before trying to stand. He nodded and stood up, helping her to her feet.

She looked around, noticing the tauren's absence. "Where's Miakoda?"

"I sent her to look for more herbs, in case these didn't do the trick or weren't enough. I imagine she'll return shortly."

He started to gather up his things, but before he could go anywhere else she stopped him. When he looked to her she took his face in her hands and said, "I think you should turn back into a human for a bit."

He gave her a confused look, and she almost laughed as his ears swiveled forward and his eyebrow arched. When he tried to pull away to transform she held on firmly to his face. At another look she quietly said, "I want you to turn while I'm holding you."

"I… don't think you would like that." Blackheart said.

She could hear the trepidation in his voice as he said it, and she knew that it wasn't just that she might not like it, but that he didn't want her to feel whatever it was that happened.

"I want to know what it's like, for you to change I mean. I want to feel you change. I know what we saw back there was hard on you, and so I just want you to feel comfort when you are changing back to being a human."

He looked deep into her eyes for a few moments before giving up a resigned so. "Ok." He said. "It won't be pleasant though."

He closed his eyes and a bright light emanated from him and, to Kalara, it seemed that time slowed down for a little bit. At first, she could feel nothing different, other than warmth coming from Blackheart. Then she felt the first ripple of change. It was almost a wave of static that passed through his body and it made her hands tingle where she held onto him. She could feel his fur receding first. It wasn't quite gone when she felt the first structural changes. She would have gasped when it started, but she didn't seem to be able to do anything. She also couldn't see. She didn't remember closing her eyes, but apparently she had. She was holding on to either side of his face and she could feel the bones deforming. She could hear the ones that had to be majorly rearranged cracking and breaking. If she could have she would have cringed; Blackheart's jawbone had just broken under her hands and it was receding towards the back of his skull. With her hands covering his shortened face she could even feel his large incisors shrinking to normal human proportions. She could also feel him getting shorter. As a worgen he was nearly two feet taller than her. As a human he was a bit over a foot taller. When his face had finally reconfigured itself she felt the last of the fur shrink into his skin and then the warmth was gone. Opening her eyes she saw Blackheart standing before her as a human, an expectant look on his face.

She couldn't even imagine the pain he must go through when he turns, having all of his bones reconfigure like that so quickly. Somehow, even though it seemed she had caught most of the nuances of it, she knew it had been nearly instantaneous. She leaned forward and wrapped him in a tight hug. She didn't really know what to say to him after feeling all of that, but she was glad that she had done it.

"Well… disgusting isn't it?"

She stretched out to arms length and saw that he had a decidedly unpleasant look on his face and she thought back to when he had just seen the area where he had been turned. He really did hate it that his humanity was taken away from him. She felt the overwhelming need to comfort him.

"You're not disgusting at all, and I've never thought you were. Even when I first met you and I was a bit scared of you, it didn't bother me what you were. It still doesn't bother me. I just wish you didn't have to go through the transformation as often as you do." She pulled him down and kissed him then, spending a long moment enjoying the moment.

When they parted lips she looked into his eyes before quietly saying, "Even before you could change human I knew how I felt about you. I didn't know how it would work, and I didn't care, as long as you felt the same. Nothing has changed that. It never has bothered me what you are and it never will. I promise that. The only thing that matters is that I have you."

He returned her deep look before finally smiling at her. She absolutely loved his smile. He didn't seem to smile enough, in her opinion, but when he did it lit up his entire face and it was infectious. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as he lifted her up off her feet into another deep, long kiss. Once it was over, she wrapper her arms around his neck once more and rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the privacy until Miakoda returned a short while later.

Seeing Kalara up and about, the tauren gave her a smile and put the herbs she had collected in one of her pouches. "I'm glad to see you're finally up and about."

Kalara nodded. "I'm glad to _be_ up and about. It's also nice just to be able to open my eyes without it feeling like someone let loose an angry hornet in my brain."

Blackheart, still in his human form, prepared for them to get under way. They hadn't covered a great deal of distance since the attack at the Howling Vale, and likely wouldn't make it out of Ashenvale before nightfall. He just hoped they could finish the day without any further incident.

A few hours later, as the sun was setting and the forest darkening, Blackheart's wish finally came true. They had made it just to within sight of the border of the Northern Barrens. When they went to cross though… that would be a different story. On the border was a defensive structure that Blackheart had never seen before. When he had came through here in the military there hadn't been a Horde encampment between the two regions.

From their vantage point among the trees they could see orcs patrolling the area immediately around the camp, but they didn't seem to extend too far into the forest. As they returned to their camp and it became full on night, Blackheart started removing his armor and chain mail.

"What are you doing?" Kalara asked, bringing out some of the trail rations they had packed. They couldn't risk lighting a fire and cooking this close to the encampment.

"I'm going to take a closer look and see what I can find out about that camp. Do you know much about it Miakoda?"

The tauren shook her head. "Nope. It's new to me, it must have been put there before they pushed into Ashenvale."

Darkening the already sparsely lit area, Blackheart shifted into his worgen form. He spoke up before Kalara could protest him going. "I won't be gone long, and it's only for a look at their camp. I want to see what we'll have to do about getting around it tomorrow."

Kalara narrowed her eyes at him, giving him the all too familiar semi-death stare. "You better be careful. If you get caught I'm gonna give you a good wallop on your furry little head."

Blackheart snickered before turning his back and loping off into the darkness. He was glad to be free of his chain mail and the constant clinking it made when he moved. Now, with all of the lightly basically gone he was completely in his element. Slipping silently through the shadows he saw the defensive structure looming ahead. He found a tree that would support him, gathered his legs under him, and sprang up into the branches, well above the sight lines of the patrolling guards. He watched the patrol to the immediate front of the defensive emplacement. Their patrol was easy to memorize and, to be perfectly honest, they had some massive gaps in them. Then again, Blackheart thought, they didn't really expect an attack.

The clouds covering up the moon created a near perfect darkness that Blackheart easily used to his advantage. Slipping down from the trees and letting his black fur camouflage him in the shadows, he snuck past the guards and just inside the outpost. There were a few lamps burning here and there, but for the most part all of the inhabitants were either inside. There were a few dwellings, some shops, an inn, and a small wind rider outpost. He scouted around the outskirts of the town, searching for a way for them to get through come tomorrow. The town was almost completely walled off except for the two entrances: the way he came in and the path to the Barrens.

Hoping to overhear some conversation he made his way stealthily to the alley between the inn and another building. He stopped under a window and listened, trying to pick out anything useful and just hoping they might be using common. It wasn't likely, but it was worth a shot. He was focusing his hearing inside the inn when he heard the footsteps rapidly approaching the window following a swell in orcish shouting. The likelihood that he had been compromised was small, so he ducked down as far as he could go and hugged the wall, becoming nearly invisible. A few moments later he understood what the footsteps meant.

With a crash of glass an orc, smelling heavily of alcohol, came crashing out the window and landed just past him. He saw an arm appear above his head, coming out the window, pointing at the orc and yelling something at it. Still in its drunken stupor and partially blinded by the window's light, the orc stood up and yelled something back before looking right through Blackheart and stumbling off somewhere else.

Taking the close call as his cue to leave, he circled around the other side of the outpost. Coming down the edge he saw what he thought might just be their way out: an Earthen Ring building. There was no mistaking the symbol over the door. As he snuck to the edge of the town he started formulating his plan to get them through.

Once he had made it back to camp, intentionally making noise as he got closer so as not to scare his companions, he had his plan fleshed out with details. Sitting around in the darkness he explained it to them, waiting for their comments.

"Well… I suppose it could work. Or we could try to look for another way around." Kalara said.

"Yeah, but if it doesn't work we'll have to look for another way around anyway. I think this ought to work just fine, at least depending on who's there." Miakoda said. "Plus, if they are opposed to it I can just leave and we haven't lost anything. It's better than trying to sneak all of us through at night, that's for sure. Come morning, I'll set out for the town and we'll just see how it plays out from there."

"Then we had best get some sleep. I suggest same watches as last time." Blackheart said.

"Sounds good to me." With a grunt, Miakoda stood up and slipped into the woods to take first watch.

Kalara looked over as Blackheart turned back into a human and sat his pack under his head to rest on. She laid down next to him and soon felt his arm reach around her and pull her close to him. She rested her head on his chest, drifting to sleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat. Too soon it seemed he was waking her up for her watch. It was completely uneventful thankfully, and when Blackheart came to relieve her she gladly snuggled up next to him to finish her night of sleep.

Early the next morning, Miakoda, along with Kalara's Earthen Ring tabard, were gone before Blackheart woke Kalara from her slumber. They readied their gear and Kalara made sure she was wearing her Earthen Ring tabard and then hunkered down to wait on the tauren's return.

As Miakoda approached the outpost, Mor'Shan she saw on the sign over the entrance, she began to get the first hint of nervousness. What if it didn't work? What if she was attacked while she was in the outpost? She shook her head, ridding herself of the negative thoughts. If she was somehow taken prisoner for what she was about to do, she was sure that Blackheart and Kalara would find a way to save her.

The thought of the current situation gave her a moment's pause. Here she was, a Horde, walking into a Horde town, and she was nervous about it, whereas when she thought about people she could rely on without question they were both Alliance and would go through every effort for her. They had already saved her life once for that matter. A smirk played at her lips as she remembered being scared out of her mind when she opened her eyes to find a worgen shortly before clubbing him in the side of the head.

As she approached the outpost one of the town guards came out to meet her. He blocked her path, stopping her before asking in Orcish, "What do you want?"

He was an ugly orc, even by orc standards. He had large protruding lower teeth and a rather unintelligent look on his face. He also smelled decidedly unpleasant. If ever there was an orc that embraced the peon, it would appear to be this one.

Standing up to her full height, a good two feet above the orc, she stared hard down at him before responding in the most commanding tone she could muster. "I am headed to the Earthen Ring here."

The orc scratched its head for a moment before responding. "You don't look like a shaman."

Putting as much menace as she could into her voice she stepped forward, towering over him, and said, "And what exactly does a shaman look like then? Do you see this?" She pointed to her tabard, clearly representing the Earthen Ring. "Do I have to be an orc to be a shaman? Should I be wearing a wolf pelt on my head then?" She stepped closer, forcing the orc back a few steps. "If you don't have any more stupid questions then you can get. Out. Of. My. Way." She bit off the last words, poking the orc hard in the chest, forcing him back a few more steps.

The orc was now completely overwhelmed, both physically and mentally. He finally decided that it just wasn't worth it to argue with this obviously agitated tauren. He scampered out of her way not long after she finished her short rant, allowing her passage into the outpost. She walked in, heading directly to the building that Blackheart had said belonged to the Earthen Ring. It was on the right side of the main path and not too many buildings in. She saw the sign hanging above the door, the circle of stones representing the faction of shamans. Without hesitating she pushed her way in.

At first it appeared that the building was empty, but soon she heard a shuffling off hooves across the wooden floor coming from one of the other rooms. "Just a moment" a voice called out in taurahe. There was something familiar about that voice. It was soon followed by a crash, the shattering of glass, and a string of curses that would have made a sailor proud. Soon she knew why it seemed familiar. As one of the doors to her left opened a tauren stepped out to meet her, only to pause for a few moments when he saw her. "Mia?" he asked quietly, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Well, Sinyo, are you gonna stand there and chew cud or are you gonna welcome me in?" she asked. Once he nodded she knew it was a young shaman that she had grown up with. One that, if she remembered correctly, was of very high moral standard. Something, she hoped, would help get her friends into the Barrens. She had a sneaking suspicion that the tauren also had had a crush on her. Something else that would help.

The other tauren fumbled for a chair for her before he found his voice again. "How… how are you here? Everyone back home thinks that you and Kuruk are dead."

"I'm ok but…" her voice caught for a moment as she thought of Kuruk; thought of the Twilight Hammer murdering him. "Kuruk didn't make it."

Sinyo, while unhappy that Kuruk had died, was more than happy that at least one of his childhood friends was still alive. "Well how did you end up here? The last time I saw you was when those orcs came and started conscripting people."

Miakoda told then recounted her travels and infiltration into the Twilight Hammer, up until the point where they had murdered Kuruk. "I'm not exactly sure when they killed him." She said quietly. She hadn't particularly wanted to relive this moment again, but being able to share it with a friend who had also known Kuruk was providing her with a sense of closure.

"How did you get away?" he asked.

"Well… that's part of the reason why I'm here. I was saved… by some Alliance."

Sinyo's mouth once again fell open. "The Alliance?"

"Yep. A worgen and a draenei at that. I've been with them ever since."

"And… they've never tried to hurt you?"

"Not even once. As a matter of fact they've fought with me on more than one occasion. We were together when Deathwing came and, if not for them once again, I probably wouldn't be around." She continued telling him about their travels, skimming over it and touching on the highlights.

Sinyo cupped his chin in his large hand and digested the news for a while. Miakoda could imagine what he was thinking. They had always been told to be very wary of Alliance, though being part of the Earthen Ring meant a greater deal of cooperation than most Horde members ever bothered with. Especially since the shamans that the draenei produced seemed to be exceptionally strong, the few of them that there were.

After a few more moments of consideration he said, "So now you're here and I'm guessing this isn't just a social call. So… what can I do for you and your friends?"

"Well… we need to get into the Barrens. And this outpost is the closest way. I was hoping you could get us through."

He stared at her for a few seconds before answering. "Get you through? How on Azeroth am I going to get you through a horde town, escorting a couple Alliance members?"

"Well, Blackheart had an idea about that. You're an Earthen Ring member right?"

"I am."

"And theoretically the Earthen Ring are neutral, right?"

"…theoretically yes."

"So… we'll just pretend they are Earthen Ring and we can just walk right through town, as long as you vouch for them."

"You're crazy."

That wasn't quite the answer that she was hoping for. Miakoda knew it had been a long shot in the first place to come here and ask, and though she thought her chances were higher with someone she knew, it was still as much as she expected. With a sigh and a nod, she stood up and turned for the door.

"Wait."

When she turned around Sinyo went into a back room and came out with a small bundle. He moved up to her and let out a sigh before saying, "I just said you were crazy, not that I wouldn't help. Everybody needs a little crazy in their lives. Let's meet these friends of yours."


	24. Chapter 24 Barrens

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 25

Barrens

Sinyo followed Miakoda outside and walked behind her as she headed towards the forest where Blackheart and Kalara were camped. To Kalara's relief, they didn't attract too much attention when they headed towards the gates. She was nervous about it still, though logically she knew there should be no reasons to suspect them, just two tauren going about their business.

As they approached the gates of the outpost, the guard she had seen earlier turned and, upon seeing Miakoda, quickly scampered out of the way. She heard a chuckle from Sinyo.

"What did you do to him?" He asked.

"I just made it apparent that he wasn't going to stop me from getting into the outpost. Nothing fancy just a little… tauren persuasion," she replied, shaking off the annoyance the guard had caused her earlier. He was, she supposed, just doing his duty… and if he had been doing a better job of it this plan would have already sunk before it was even set out to water. She hoped the rest of the plan would go more smoothly.

It took them only a few moments of travel to reach the camp where she knew Blackheart and Kalara waited. When she arrived at the camp her two friends she had left were waiting for her. She heard Sinyo gasp and stop short when he saw Blackheart. He was in his worgen form standing protectively in front of Kalara.

"These… are my two friends." Miakoda said to him. "That," she said, pointing to the worgen, "is Blackheart, and she is Kalara, a shaman like you. This is Sinyo. He's a friend of mine as well as a member of the Earthen Ring. He might be able to get us through Mor'Shan."

Sinyo stood for a few moments staring at the two Alliance standing before him. He gave Kalara a quick look but spent most of his time looking at Blackheart. He had heard of the worgen before, mostly horror stories that came from up in Ashenvale as well as the newer reports that they had joined the Alliance, and now one was standing before him, wearing armor and a sword even. Blackheart could smell the apprehension coming from the tauren.

"So you really are friends with a worgen?" He asked Miakoda nervously.

"Sure am." She replied.

"And he's… safe?" He asked.

"Well… as long as you don't make him angry or rub his fur the wrong way then he's perfectly safe. Oh… and don't mess with Kalara. That will get your head ripped off." She said. Blackheart looked at her and raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. "Kalara though… she's really the one you need to worry about. She's taken Blackheart down a few times on accident… once through a window. That was an interesting night." Kalara looked down at her hooves then, seeming almost sheepish. Miakoda relished every moment of it.

After a few moments, and looks between Miakoda and Blackheart, Sinyo walked forward slowly and offered his huge hand to the worgen. Even without his sense of smell, the unease on Sinyo's face was as plain as the horns on his head.

As Blackheart stepped forward to shake hands, he took stock of the large creature standing before him. Sinyo was at least as tall as he was, roughly eight feet, and probably weighed three times as much. It seemed to him as if the tauren was just a giant wall of muscle. He had mottled black and brown fur, with long black horns coming from his head that curved to point eventually forward. His hair was long and black, falling into two braids down his chest to his waist. He also had a large hoop through his nose. Blackheart took the tauren's hand in firm grip and shook it. He felt Sinyo flinch slightly, and then ease into it.

Upon releasing his hand Sinyo said, in a relatively calmer voice, "Well, any friend of Mia's is a friend of mine."

"Glad to hear it," The worgen said. "Well… do you have a plan?"

Sinyo was silent for a few moments before unwrapping the package he had brought. He unfurled two extra Earthen Ring tabards and handed them to Kalara and Blackheart. "Put those on. I think I'll be able to get you through the town and on your way into the Barrens. I don't have a great deal of sway though… so I hope the neutrality implied by the Earthen Ring will get you through."

"You hope?" Kalara asked. "You just… hope… that this Horde outpost is going to remember that the Earthen Ring is a neutral group and that they let us just walk through their town? I don't see how that's ever going to work."

"Well… yes, I hope it will."

"Right… and what happens when your 'hope' fails and they decide to try to kill us on sight? How many Horde are we talking about?"

"How many… I suppose there are a couple hundred there. Why?"

Kalara pondered over this information for a few moments, and then turned to Blackheart and said, "Well if it's only a few hundred we could probably fight our way out if we had to."

Sinyo looked back and forth between Kalara and Blackheart trying to decide if they were serious. When the worgen looked consideringly at Kalara before nodding his head, he thought he would ask them about their confidence against these kinds of odds later. "I don't think it's going to come to that. Just… let me do the talking."

Blackheart nodded. "Fair enough. My orcish is rather… rusty."

Kalara gave him a playful shove before saying, "Non-existent you mean."

With that they left and headed towards Mor'Shan. It didn't take them long to reach the outpost, nor did it take long for a cry of alarm to be sounded and a dozen armored orcs came trotting out to meet them. Blackheart could see that they all had their weapons drawn. Most were carrying an axe and a shield, a few had swords, and the apparent leader of the group had a large battle axe he was toting across one shoulder. The leader had a very unhappy snarl crossing his features.

When the guards reached his group, the orcs forced them to stop and the lead orc marched up to Sinyo and began bellowing something at him in orcish. It didn't sound very pleasant, and the way the guards were gripping their weapons and eyeing him and Kalara he decided he could more or less figure out what they were saying.

Sinyo and the orc talked to each other, rather heatedly for a few moments before the orcs started to surround his group. Blackheart quickly drew his weapon and shield and protectively flanked Kalara. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as Kalara ignited her arms with lightning. Miakoda had drawn her bow and was just waiting, an arrow knocked and drawn.

Sinyo shouted something to the orc and then turned to Blackheart, saying, "Just calm down for a second and let me sort this out. Everyone is making everyone else very uncomfortable and we've just got to settle down while I explain this." Blackheart nodded and slowly sheathed his sword. The orcs didn't seem to relax at all though. Sinyo continued on talking to the orc and finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the lead orc narrowed, his eyes, huffed, and gave a command in orcish that caused the other orcs to relax and put their weapons away. They were still surrounded, but Blackheart considered this a vast improvement.

Sinyo turned to the group and said, "We're going to go into the outpost and to the Earthen Ring building to pick up some things and then we'll leave out the other side of town as fast as we can. Try not to get into a fight along the way." His voice still held some heat from his argument with the orc, but Blackheart didn't feel that it was directed at him. He nodded his assent and followed as Sinyo led the way into town.

As they approached the outpost flanked by their guards, they could hear the curious and alarmed sounds of the other people in the outpost. They followed Sinyo in as he led the way to the Earthen Ring building. Looking around, Blackheart could see many of the outposts' members staring at them. There were mainly trolls and orcs with a few goblins here and there. He could smell their emotions. Most of them were set on hatred or anger, but he could definitely detect the scent of fear mingled in. Without incident they made it into the Earthen Ring building where Sinyo forcefully left their guards outside.

Once inside he blew out a great sigh before plopping down into a chair that seemed dangerously close to breaking under his weight. "Well we've gotten this far at least. We should be able to get out into the Barrens with little hassle from now on."

"Thank you very much for helping us." Kalara said. "I... have another favor to ask."

"Oh? What might that be?"

"Well... I would like to officially join the Earthen Ring, but I haven't really had the chance to… err… send in an application. Back at my town there were no Earthen Ring members and I hadn't had a chance to go by The Exodar before all this mess with Deathwing started."

"All it takes to be a part of the Earthen Ring, at least now with the elements raging through Azeroth such as they are, is strong power over the elements. Being the leader of this particular outpost of the Earthen Ring, which consists currently of… well… me, I can test you for elemental aptitude and sign you on as a full member." Sinyo said, leaning forward to look at Kalara more closely.

"You… you really could do that?" She asked.

"Of course! And you'll be my first initiate too." Turning to Miakoda he said, "First you come back from the dead and then you get me to harbor Alliance members, inside a Horde outpost no less, and you also bring me my first possible Earthen Ring initiate. You're just full of surprises today Mia."

"Well, you know me. I always like to live life on the edge." Miakoda responded with a smile.

Blackheart could smell the nervousness coming from Kalara. He knew she would pass whatever test Sinyo had with blazing colors, but it still concerned him in an over-protective kind of way as to what kind of challenge she would be facing. He decided to just ask about it. "What exactly do you do when you test her?"

"Well it basically involves questing towards her with my senses to feel that she has strength in the elements, and then a slight push against that strength to see what kind of response I get." Sinyo said, looking between Blackheart and Kalara.

Blackheart looked at Kalara and noticed she seemed eager to get on with it. Sinyo got up and instructed Kalara to move her chair in front of him. "Close your eyes," he said, raising his hands and positioning them just above her head, "and focus on summoning some of the elemental power that you have. Try to just hold it in your body."

Blackheart was still thinking about Sinyo saying that he would push against her power… and he knew that power well enough to know that it was immense. "You might want to sit down." He said.

The tauren eyed him quizzically before saying, "Oh I'll be fine. I've tested people before and never had any problems. Now then," he said, closing his eyes and concentrating. Blackheart could smell the elemental magic circulating in the air; he felt the familiar comforting brush of Kalara's and the different, more primal feeling, magic that Sinyo produced.

"I can definitely detect the strength there, now I'm going to push against the elemental energy you've stored in your body. If you feel it, push back against me so I can see how strong you are."

Kalara's eyebrow furrowed for a moment and Blackheart knew what was coming before it happened. Following a quick increase in Sinyo's power, his pushing against her, there was a loud bang. Blackheart's hair stood on end as Kalara's magic discharged and Sinyo was thrown backwards, clearing the table behind him and tumbling over once before crashing into some cabinets on the other side of the room.

Miakoda got to him first, asking him if he was ok and trying to help him up with Blackheart and Kalara following. Once he saw that the tauren wasn't seriously hurt, he could barely contain his laughter at Sinyo's predicament. The tauren was laying on his back with his horns buried into the cabinetry. When he finally freed himself, a snicker escaped Blackheart as he saw that there was a cup hooked onto his horn. He took Miakoda's outstretched hand and let her help him to his feet.

"I am so sorry!" Kalara said. Her eyes were wide and she covered her mouth after she had spoken, afraid that she had hurt him severely. She seriously needed to get a handle on her powers… then again Sinyo had told her to push him. And he HAD told him to sit down.

The tauren shaman groaned a bit before shaking his head, sending the cup spinning around his horn, saying, "I'm fine, I'm fine." He regarded Kalara for a few moments while dusting himself off. "That's not the worst thing I've been hit by, but I certainly don't want to repeat that process. Most shamans tested barely give me much of a push, and only a few of the stronger ones have actually caused me to step back. I've never seen that kind of power before… so with pleasure, and a little bit of pain, I hereby name you initiate into the Earthen Ring."

Kalara was ecstatic. She jumped up and down and hugged Blackheart hard enough to take his breath away. "I'm in!" she said over and over. "Here of all places, the middle of a Horde town, but I'm finally, officially an Earthen Ring memeber."

Sinyo turned and, before leaving the room, said, "I have some things I need to get and then we can set out." Before he got more than a pace away Miakoda caught him and spun him about. At his questioningly look she reached up and plucked the cup from his horn and handed it to him. He took it and, rather sheepishly, said, "Oh... thanks."

Kalara was still hugging Blackheart and he could smell the elation coming off of her. He nuzzled her cheek softly and returned the hug. With a sideways wolfish grin he looked at her and said, "As if there was ever any doubt miss I'm going to calm a tornado and destroy big elementals and bring people back to life."

She smiled exuberantly and hugged him again, burying her face in his chest, and for a moment time stopped for Blackheart. For just this moment, everything in life was perfectly ok. In this moment it clicked for him, the purpose for his life he could easily work towards. The smile that she gave him and the feelings he felt melted his heart. They would go and deal with Kalara's sister, and he would spend every moment trying to bring that smile back to her face. In what seemed like entirely too quick a time Sinyo re-entered the room and the moment was gone… but Blackheart knew he would find it again.

When the tauren entered the room he was dressed very differently. He now wore a coat of chain mail armor and carried a large pack on his back. His Earthen Ring tabard covered the chainmail and situated on slings from his hips were two axes. When Miakoda saw him she looked astonished. "What are you doing with all that?" She asked.

"Well I'm going with you guys of course."

"But… don't you have responsibilities here?"

"I have a responsibility to seeing my friend get home and seeing my new initiate properly trained in the ways of the Earthen Ring… though it seems like she will learn little from me. Also, how are you going to get all the way through Horde territory without me?"

Miakoda gave him a considering look, finally looking pleased with him and smiling. "Fair enough. Let's get this show on the road then."

It only took them a moment more to depart. They had been inside the building for a half hour or more, but the orcish guards were still standing at attention waiting for them outside. As soon as the door opened the leader of the guards nearly charged inside, stopping short when Sinyo blocked the entire door frame. The orc said something and Blackheart could clearly smell the suspicion coming from him and his men, but a few words from Sinyo and the over exaggerated showing of his tabard must have been good enough because soon the orc stepped back and moved his guards to their original flanking position.

They had soon moved through the town with little more incident than they had entered it, hearing the occasional gasp or angry sound from a bystander as they passed them by. At last they were out of Mor'Shan and into Northern Barrens.

Sinyo heaved a huge sigh of relief when at last their guards relented and turned back to the outpost. "I'm glad that's finally over with. Of course now we just have to make it through this territory which is still Horde controlled, at least until we get to the Great Divide."

Miakoda turned to Sinyo, a confused look on her face. "The great what? What are you talking about?"

"When the Cataclysm happened, Barrens was split in two by a huge fissure running right through the middle of it. If that weren't enough, strange things have been happening near the fissure. Plants and oases have sprung up near the fissure, whereas before it was all rather desolate." Sinyo stopped for a moment and pulled out a map, showing it to the rest of the group. "While we are on the topic of this lovely land, we need to decide how we are going to go about getting through it. As I see it, we have three ways to go: West, near the Wailing Caverns, due South down through Crossroads, or east to the neutral town of Ratchet."

They all considered the map for a few moments. Blackheart could remember hearing tails of small skirmishes often happening at Crossroads and felt that they would be even less likely to afford them the neutrality than the orcs at Mor'Shan, so that option was out. To the west they could avoid civilization completely… but going near to the Wailing Caverns was not his idea of fun. There had been many reports of strange happenings in those caverns and, for once, he just wanted a relatively easy walk across this land. That left but one option.

"We'll go through Ratchet; I believe it will be our best bet. It will also be nice to sleep in a real bed for a night," Blackheart said. The others nodded their agreement and Sinyo packed his map up and they set off walking south along the deserted road.

After a few hours travel, Blackheart noticed a definite increase in the heat, and with all of his fur he decided it might be easiest to be in human form.

"Sinyo." The worgen said.

"Hmm?" Sinyo turned and slowed to a stop to see what Blackheart wanted.

"I'm going to change into my human form. The heat is making all of this fur," he waved at himself, "uncomfortable to say the least. I wanted to make sure you knew what was happening before you jumped out of your skin because the next time you looked back I was a human, instead of a worgen."

Sinyo's eyes opened wide in astonishment. "You can actually shift back into a human? I had heard as much… but being stuck in a backwoods outpost had never seen it."

"Indeed." Blackheart said, and with a flash of light he was standing in his human form again, instantly relieved of the heat that the desolate place was casting down on him. He gave a mighty stretch of his muscles and looked back to Sinyo. Transforming almost always left a funny cramp somewhere on his body.

For a moment Sinyo stood, mouth agape, staring at him. Miakoda walked over and flicked his chin, saying, "You seem to take that pose a lot here recently. Once you see him grow fur a couple of times it loses its appeal." Sinyo shook his head and looked at Miakoda before turning to head on his way again. Blackheart knew that if the tauren hadn't been covered in fur, he would have been blushing.

The unusual group set out heading Southeast across the Barrens. They soon left the road, heading through the open country in order to both reach Ratchet and avoid any patrols that might be on the road. As they ranged across the plains, Blackheart could hear the calls of various wildlife that inhabited the area and watched a herd of Zhevra galloping across an empty stretch of land, moving from one watering hole to the next.

Shortly after entering a field of high grass his danger sense started tingling at the base of his skull. He sniffed deeply of the air but the only scents that he could pick up were those of his party; the only sound was the quiet swish of grass as they made their way. He quietly called for his group's attention.

"Something is stalking us."

Immediately the rest of the group looked around but, as Blackheart had already discovered, there was nothing to be seen.

Sinyo looked back to him, troubled. "I don't see anything out there. Are you sure?"

Miakoda answered for the worgen. "If he says there's something out there, then trust me, something is out there. Remind me to tell you about the log incident sometime."

Sinyo seemed confused, but nodded and went back to watching their perimeter. Her words about the log incident played through his head and he could not, for the life of him, figure out what a log had to do with something hunting them… but as she said, he would remind her to tell him about it sometime.

Blackheart snuffled the air again. He could smell them coming now, whatever they were, but even to his hearing everything seemed silent. He unsheathed his shield and sword and was holding them at the ready when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Kalara was gathering magic in her other palm and holding it above her head. When she finished, she brought it down to the ground quickly and with a 'whoosh' air exploded out from their group, flattening the grass around them… and revealing several startled raptors mere paces away.

It didn't take the raptors long to recover, but Blackheart's group was equally ready. The first raptor to move was taken through the throat with an arrow before it got more than a pace towards them. Well, Blackheart though in the moment before they all attacked, at least that was one down.

The closest raptor took a few running steps before leaping, deadly claws outstretched, towards Blackheart. Using the same tactic he had killed one of the worgen a few days earlier, he put his shield before him and braced his father's sword, catching the raptor on his shield while skewering it and throwing it to the ground, avoiding its death throes.

Working like the well-oiled group they had become they started dispatching the savage animals quickly. Kalara fried two with a lightning bolt from each hand, while Miakoda mowed them down with a brutal volley from her bow, her huge arrows easily slaying them in two or three hits.

What Blackheart was most interested in, however, was Sinyo and how he reacted under stress. After disposing of another raptor, he took a quick glance to see how the tauren was doing… and was almost taken aback at the savagery of his attack. Sinyo had drawn two large axes and was dual wielding them to great effect, but something was off about him, how he moved or looked. His attention was brought back to his own safety for long enough to kill the last raptor facing him, then he turned back to face Sinyo.

He was moving… fast and was hitting brutally hard against these raptors, often cleaving completely through them with little visible effort. The thing that was off about it was that it wasn't the gracefully fast movements of a master warrior, they just looked like normal attacks, but faster… and then he smelled the magic.

It smelled of leather and the grasslands, but not these that they were currently at and it brought to his mind the picture of a dwelling made from leather stretched over poles buried into the ground. That's when he understood what was happening and how Sinyo was destroying the creatures before him, his attacks looked like the normal swing of an axe, it was just happening faster. It didn't seem he was putting extra effort into his swings, he was just hitting harder. He was using his shamanistic magic to enhance his abilities, and it appeared he was very good at it. He was also glad that Sinyo was on his side, as facing that kind of attack was unnerving and hard to predict.

As Miakoda put three arrows into one last raptor, the rest of the pack fled back to the grasslands. Once all of the raptors had been killed or driven off, Sinyo's magic was finally released and he bent over, putting his hands on his knees and panting. "It's been a long time since I've had a workout like that." He said.

Finishing cleaning his blade, Blackheart walked over to Sinyo. "That was quite the impressive display you put on."

His breath caught, Sinyo cleaned his axes and put them back on his belt. "It wasn't so long ago that Miakoda and I would hunt raptors in the plains of Mulgore. If left to their own devices they tend to attack the travelers, as they did now." The tauren let out an angry snort. "These things didn't happen while Thrall was still the leader. He made sure we had proper patrols along the trade routes to keep them clear. Now that Garrosh is in charge… that doesn't happen so much."

"What do you mean Garrosh is in charge?" Miakoda asked, coming to stand next to him.

"Shortly after the Cataclysm, Thrall left his post to join the Earthen Ring to help fight off Deathwing. Someone had to take over, so Garrosh did."

"That… doesn't bode well for the Horde. Garrosh was a brutal beast from what I know of him."

Sinyo nodded. "That's accurate." A look of great sadness crossed his features then. "When we reach Ratchet, I'll tell you how brutal he is. I'll need a stiff drink before I can do that though."

Blackheart could tell Miakoda wanted to question the tauren further on the subject, but she agreed to leave it at that and be on their way. It was getting close to midday and the temperature was at its peak. Blackheart thought then that an adventure in Northrend wouldn't have been so bad. He liked the cold weather, and with his extra fur it was almost pleasant.

Their journey was largely uneventful for the rest of the day. The flat terrain made traveling swift and easy, and the group covered the distance quickly. Soon Blackheart began smelling salt in the air; they were getting closer to the ocean. It was slightly after the sun had touched the horizon that Blackheart's ears picked up on a noise ahead of them. It wasn't a noise from nature, but the noise of a city… and the closer they got the more boisterous the noise became.

As they topped the next hill he could see it, a small port city lit up and with ships in the docks and various people going about their business. Sinyo stopped and swept his arm out, saying, "Welcome to Ratchet."

* * *

Author's Note - So it's been an incredibly long time since I've published anything. I recently went through some life changes, not for the better, and that has caused me to have a severe writer's block. For a time I basically lost the inspiration to write. Now that I finally got another chapter out we shall see about me finally finishing this story, because I definitely want to!


	25. Chapter 25 Ratchet

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 25

Ratchet

The first thing that Blackheart noticed about Ratchet was the noise. It sounded almost like one giant party going was on. There was a lot of music playing, constant yelling, and a few screams here and there. The second thing he noticed was the smell. Even from here, over the salt coming off the ocean, he could smell the alcohol and the stench of bodily fluids. He was beginning to have second thoughts about how nice a bed might be, especially considering what might be stained into that bed when they got there. Last of all he really grasped the size of the port city. It was huge, much larger than he had heard or expected. It looked to stretch nearly a mile up and down the cost, with what seemed like every light in the city blazing. The streets looked to be haphazardly strewn about with no clear goal in mind. That would be a city that was easy to get lost in.

He turned to Sinyo, saying, "Well… it's certainly unique. So this town is neutral? As in there should be a place for Horde and a place for the Alliance?"

"Ohhh no. The goblin owners of the town refuse to segregate anyone. There's a rule that you have to pay for anything you break, so a fight breaking out is actually good for business. They tend to charge… a bit on top of what the cost for replacing they're tables, windows, and doors are. Since the goblins also run the local lumber mill and carpentry shop… well… they have interest in keeping things separate. They're definitely not hurting in their bank accounts, that's for sure."

"Well… there's nothing to it besides getting down there I suppose." Kalara said before threading her arm through Blackheart's. "Let's go."

The closer they got to the port, the worse all of the smells became. For once, Blackheart really wished he could just turn off some of his senses. Mingled in with the smells of alcohol and bodily stench was a massive jumble of confusing emotions. Love, hate, fear, lust, hope – all seemed to be mingled together. The noise was a racket, making it harder for him to hear things around him. It was as if the ambient noise was trying to drown out what was going on in his vicinity. There was even a smoky haze about the place that was obscuring his vision. How on Azeroth could anyone live in this place?

When they reached the edge of the port they were met by a small crew of heavily armored goblins with wicked looking clubs and nets on their belts. "Bruisers, the town guards," he heard Sinyo say as they approached.

The one in the lead marched directly up to them, checked them all out, eyeing their weaponry, before asking, "What are you in town for?" The goblin didn't even come up to Blackheart's hip and had quite a few scars about him. He also did not seem at all bothered that every member of Blackheart's party was over twice his height. In fact, he seemed quite bored.

Miakoda spoke for them this time. "We need a place to stay and to get some food."

"Ah!" The goblin's mood seemed to change immediately at the prospect of increasing the wealth of his town. "In that case you'll want the entertainment district. To get there follow this street behind me up three blocks, then take a left. Walk up that one for, oh, about another 6 blocks and take a right. Take an immediate left, then walk 2 blocks on and another right, then 5 blocks down take another left. That'll get you to where all of the inns are."

None of Blackheart's group could say anything. His eyebrow was arched in his typical quizzical look, both Kalara and Sinyo's mouth were gaping, and Miakoda just covered her face with her large palm. With a resigned sigh saying this happened all the time, the goblin pointed behind him and to the left. "Just go that way. I'm sure you guys will find it."

When Blackheart moved forward to follow his pointing finger, the rest of them seemed to wake from their stupor and followed him. The district they were currently in must have been the bazaar or trade district. There were shops everywhere and Blackheart could hear the shopkeepers and stall owners hawking their wares. There were calls claiming the finest silks in Kalimdor or the best looking jewels, sharpest swords, and strongest armor in all Azeroth. It seemed to him that if he had ever needed anything, this would be the place to come and get it. Even now, close to dusk, the streets were still packed with members from seemingly every race. To his left he could see an orc haggling over the price of an axe and the next stall over was a dwarf in a heated argument about a gem stone he was pointing at. It was all a sort of barely managed chaos, with the occasional patrol of bruisers making their way through the crowd.

It wasn't long before he got to see these goblin guards in action. Hearing shouting, he turned to follow the sound to see what the commotion was. A troll and a human were yelling at each other in front of what appeared to be a potion stand. He couldn't understand what the troll was saying, but from the words the human was yelling it was going to get ugly fast. The stall keeper was, with practiced precision Blackheart noted, moving his wares off of the stall in front of him and into a padded case behind him so that when the inventible fight finally did start and the troll choke slammed the human onto, and through, the table his wares were safe. The human retaliated rather quickly, sweeping the trolls legs out from under him and leaping on him, trying to pummel him with his fists. In mere seconds though, bruisers seemed to appear from nowhere and give them both a good whack to the head before netting them and dragging them off to what was likely the local jail.

One of the bruisers stayed behind and handed a coin pouch to the stall keeper, they shook hands, and he made his way following the others. Without missing much of a beat the stall keeper pulled a new table from his small cart and had his wares displayed and was hawking them in under a minute. It was quite an impressive display. He immediately went back to hawking his items and business, chaos, returned as normal.

As they were walking in the general direction they had been shown of the entertainment district, a jeweler was on the cusp of harassing people as they walked by, jumping out in front of them to try and sell his goods. Blackheart had hoped that they could pass by unnoticed, but they had no such luck. When Kalara was almost past him, the little goblin leapt in front of her, brandishing his necklaces and rings almost as a weapon. Blackheart had to help her keep from running the goblin over.

"You!" he shouted, though they were only a pace away, "What a beautiful draenei! A creature as beautiful as yourself deserves beautiful jewelry, though you easily outshine these baubles, they could only enhance your radiant appearance. Surely one of your race can appreciate the craftsmanship of my wares, the draenei are, after all, master jewel cutters. Surely this brilliant sapphire brings out your glowing eyes more so than that… wolf medallion does. Ahhhh and that hair band! It is much too simple for you, what about this piece?" He, seemingly from nowhere, produced a gem studded band," This would suit you much better I think!"

Kalara stopped for a moment, considering the goblin's words. It was definitely flattering to be doted upon as much as this seller was, though she felt it was more honeyed words than anything else. She knew what Blackheart thought of her, though she didn't think beauty and herself were things that went together. The jewelry that the goblin wanted to replace though… those were irreplaceable. The hairband had been a gift from her parents. It was possibly her most prized possession. It was the only thing she really had left of them. She touched it and the memory of them giving it to her came in a rush.

She had been young, barely able to run around without falling down, when she had found it in among her mother's clothing. She had been trying to get it to stay on when she was found out. It was just too big for her at the time, but her mother had given it to her anyway, telling her that she could keep it until it would fit and then wear it. If it hadn't of been with her things it would have been destroyed during the crash.

Then she touched the wolf medallion hanging from her neck. It was the first gift that Blackheart had given her. Well, the first material gift anyway. He had given her a lot, but before he had found his father's weaponry this had been his only real link to his past, the one item he truly owned and he wanted her to have it. The medallion was more precious than anything that the goblin had to offer, and the weight of it against her chest made her feel safe.

She looked down to the goblin then, saying, "I'm sure your jewelry is beautiful, and might even look good on me, but these few things that I have are worth more to me than any other jewelry I can imagine. My hairband was from my mother, and this pendant was from someone very special as well."

The goblin, after years of selling his baubles, knew when he wasn't going to make a sale. He merely nodded, saying, "As you wish, my lady. But if you find you ever need more jewelry come back and I assure you I'll find something just for you." And in a moment he was leaping in front of other people trying to sell his wares.

As the group continued on their way, Kalara snuck a peak at Blackheart. She could see that he wasn't exactly smiling ear to ear, but was very pleased that she treasured what he had given her. She did feel him pull her a bit closer though, and being closer to Blackheart was always a good thing in her book.

They finally managed to weave through the crowds, avoiding any more shop owner confrontations, and made their way to the entertainment district. It seemed to them that if the Darkmoon Faire had chosen a place to set up permanent residence, this would have been it. There were live entertainment venues, inns, brothels, and taverns...lots and lots of taverns. When they entered the district, Miakoda had to sidestep to avoid a drunken human that came toppling out of the first tavern that they came to.

"Let's not go into that one." She said. The others easily agreed and moved on down the street.

Ignoring the fights, sights, and cat calls from the less savory businesses, Blackheart lead his group down the avenue for another minute or two until they came to an inn that seemed, if only marginally, less rowdy than the rest. The sign swinging from the post above the door read 'The Splintered Hare' and showed a painting of a wooden rabbit. As he opened the door he hoped it would be a peaceful evening.

The common room wasn't as loud as some of the other places they had passed, but it wasn't quite by any stretch of the imagination either. There were quite a few tables scattered about and most of them were occupied by members of the various races. Kalara let out a slight hiss at the sight of a group of blood elves seated at one of the tables, but beyond that she chose to try and ignore them. There was a group of humans who seemed to be intoxicated and were making the most noise. One of the serving girls came up to them when she was free of her last table.

It was a rather short female troll, and in her odd accent she asked, "What can I get for ye?"

Blackheart stepped forward and answered for the group. "We need two rooms and," he sniffed the air for a moment, "a table for all of us and some of that boar you have roasting."

The serving girl nodded to them and directed them to a table before promising to return with food for them. The table was longer than it was deep, with two chairs on each side. Blackhear took a seat next to Kalara while the two tauren took over the others. Finally being able to just sit and relax was nice, but the table they had been given was not ideal, at least not to Blackheart's sensibilities anyway. It wasn't near a wall and every chair had its back to some of the other patrons. Blackheart had seen how efficient the bruisers were in dealing with trouble, but he still didn't like the idea of having his back to anyone.

Once they were all seated, Sinyo turned to ask Miakoda one of the many things that had been on his mind that day. "So… what is this log incident you were talking about? And what did that have to do with those raptors?"

"Oh well the fuzzball there seems to have some sort of handy built in sixth sense about danger." Blackheart gave an exasperated sigh at being called 'fuzzball'. "We were dealing with some kind of giant elemental tornado and out of nowhere Blackheart yells at us to duck. It was so loud I could barely hear him! But, seeing as how he hadn't lead us astray yet, we hit the deck and when we did this big log comes bouncing along the ground straight for us, which Blackheart also somehow deflected with his shield. I'm still not sure how we survived that."

"Wait wait wait, giant elemental tornado?" Sinyo asked, completely confused. Miakoda proceeded to tell him in full what had happened with the tornado in Darkshore. For perhaps the 5th time that day, his jaw went slack and fell open. With practiced patience, Miakoda reached over and closed it for him.

Sinyo turned to Kalara in amazement. "You… you communed with the elementals to fix a storm that Malfurion Stormrage couldn't stop? That's…. well that's just purely incredible. What was it like? What was the air realm like? I mean, I've spoken with the elements to form our contract but the contact I've had since them has been limited at best. What about…"

Sinyo asked so many questions so rapidly that Kalara was having trouble keeping up an answering. After the 10th or so question, Kalara heard a smack and looked to see Sinyo holding the back of his head and Miakoda pointing at him. "Boy, you need to slow down. You're going to overwhelm Kalara with all your questions, especially if you won't wait for an answer."

Sinyo looked abashed then. "Sorry about that. It's just to meet someone who has accomplished so much as a shaman is… well it's an honor really. Usually only the masters are easily able to commune with the elements, like Thrall."

Blackheart could see that Kalara was blushing now by the rosy tint in her cheeks. He was very happy to see another shaman showing her the respect that he knew she deserved. She was in the process of answering when they're food arrived, carried by the same waitress, as well as another, that had greeted them.

As the troll set the food down, she handed two keys to Blackheart. "Room five, along the left side, be big enough for the tauren. Your room, fifteen, be further down, around the corner."

"Thanks." Blackheart said, taking the keys before they dug into their meal. He hadn't eaten a proper meal in quite a while so even the relatively simple fare of roasted pork and some vegetables was quite delicious. Judging by the silence emanating from the rest of his group, he assumed that they felt the same. Once the meal was finished, Kalara spent the next couple of hours answering questions for Sinyo. Most of the common had cleared out by the time the tauren's appetite for answers, and food, was finally sated, so they all got up and headed to their rooms.

They said their goodnights to Sinyo and Miakoda when the tauren reached their room and Blackheart and Kalara continued down the hallway. As they reached the corner, Blackheart started to become uncomfortable. It wasn't his sixth sense about danger, at least not specifically, but it was definitely something. As soon as a familiar smell wafted over to him, he knew what was making him uncomfortable. The mix of alcohol and the sickly sweet smell of magic told him that a few slightly inebriated blood elves stood around the next corner. Before he could stop Kalara she turned the corner and ran flat into a blood elf. Blackheart was able to catch her before she hit the ground, but the blood elf landed flat on his butt.

Strangely enough this seemed to amuse the rest of the standing blood elves a great deal. With the amount of alcohol each one of them smelled like they must have been quite drunk. They were saying something in their language to their fallen comrade. Blackheart couldn't understand but from the inflections it seemed rather… mocking. Once he had righted Kalara he offered his hand to the blood elf still on the floor. He just stared at Blackheart's hand for a moment, almost as if he didn't understand what he was doing, before slapping it away angrily.

He got up in a huff saying, "Watch where you are going _draenei_," putting emphasis on Kalara's race, as if it had something to do with the accident. Blackheart could tell from the way Kalara's face was twisting up she was about to say something that could possibly cause them some problems. Blackheart put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She looked up to him and sighed before muttering. "Sorry."

The blood elf just scoffed at her apology. Before the situation could escalate, Blackheart decided to intervene. "It was just an accident, it could have happened to anyone." He then took Kalara's hand and led her down the hallway towards their room.

They were maybe halfway there when the blood elf called out, "Just keep your woman in check, human."

Kalara was jerked to a halt as Blackheart stopped in the hallway. She looked back at him and she could see the anger starting to slowly spread across his features. She knew they didn't need any trouble, and that that blood elf certainly wasn't worth any. "Come on," she whispered, giving his hand a few tugs.

She could tell she had won him over… until the stupid blood elf opened his mouth. "Maybe you should get a leash for your goat to make sure it doesn't get out again." The insult stung her, true, but she felt more sorry for the one that had uttered it. Stupid, foolish blood elf. She let Blackheart's hand go with a sigh as he turned around and started slowly walking back towards the elf.

Blackheart was going to let the damned elf go. He knew he didn't need trouble and sure didn't want trouble… but no one insults Kalara, at least not more than once. As he was walking back towards the offending blood elf, his comrades were laughing though Blackheart couldn't tell at if it was at him or the other blood elf.

As he approached, the blood elf said in a mocking tone, "What are you planning on doing? What could a mere human do to one as superior as I?" He managed to get most of that out without slurring, and Blackheart was mildly impressed, though that was fairly well buried under his anger.

When Blackheart finally reached him and stood towering over him by over a foot, it seemed to finally dawn on the blood elf that perhaps this was a bad plan, taunting someone much bigger than he was. When he looked around, part of his good sense realized that his comrades were laughing at him and were backing away, wanting nothing of what Blackheart was about to bring, and leaving him to face this large, irate human alone. He almost realized he should just leave, he was so close to making a good decision… but then alcohol took over. This human in front of him suddenly didn't look so big. What was he even worrying about? He'd put this fool down and then go on about his night, but with a great story to tell.

Blackheart looked down at the offending elf and tried to carefully consider his options. In a way, he was acting similarly to the blood elf: he knew this was probably a bad idea, but the anger at someone mocking Kalara said to hell with that, this guy needs a beating. He did, at least, retain the courtesy to give the elf a chance.

"You," Blackheart said, poking the elf in the chest so hard he staggered backwards and almost fell, "are going to apologize to her. Now."

"Or what, you big oaf?" The elf said, once he had regained his balance.

"Or, I'm going to knock you into last week and your friends will have to carry your sorry hide out of here."

"You would dare to attack me?" The elf said in mock disbelief. "I don't think so!" He shouted, and made his final mistake that night: he swung a fist at Blackheart's jaw.

As amusing as it might have been to the worgen any other time, to see someone having to stretch up to reach his face, the humor was lost on him as he saw the clumsy punch coming in. With ease, he batted the fist aside, cocked his arm back, and laid the elf out with a single blow that sent him tumbling backwards to land at the feet of his companions. Blackheart wasn't sure that the elf ever saw it coming, but he definitely knew that the elf would feel it when he woke up the next morning.

The elf's companions looked between their friend and Blackheart a few times before collectively sighing. One of them pulled out a key, opened a nearby door, and all of them unceremoniously dumped the unconscious elf into the room. Without a further word they shut the door and left, continuing on to whatever merrymaking they had planned... though minus one participant.

Blackheart was still watching them go when he felt Kalara's presence behind him and felt her arms wrap around his waist, hugging him from behind. Her voice was muffled as she said, "You didn't have to do that."

He turned around so he could face her. "Yes, I did. It makes my blood boil when anyone talks badly of you and that… elf had the audacity to insult you. I can't let those things slide."

They started walking towards their room once more as Kalara said, "But why does it bother you so much. It's not like they're insulting you or anything. When I chose the path to be a shaman I knew I would receive ridicule from even my own people, though perhaps not overtly. I have prepared myself for people saying bad things about me. Having one of those fool blood elves say mean things isn't any worse."

They had reached the door then. After entering, they set their things down and Blackheart turned to Kalara, taking her gently by the shoulders. "Whether or not you have a thick skin for those things is not the point. It's also not the point that it wasn't directed at me. However… you are mine, and whenever someone threatens you, physically or emotionally, they're going to have to deal with me. A threat to you is basically a threat to me. Face it; you have an overprotective watchdog, sometimes literally, in me."

Kalara was blushing as she hugged him. It felt so good for Blackheart to say that she was his and, she had to admit, it felt good when he was so protective of her. She had always feared being with someone that would treat her like an object, or someone that wouldn't protect her. Not that she often needed protection, but Blackheart had never let her down in that sense either. She could feel Blackheart playing with her hair while her face was buried in his chest. She liked that too. In fact, she liked everything about Blackheart.

Blackheart continued to rub her hair for a few more moments before stepping back slightly and gently tipping her chin up so he could look her in those blue eyes he always felt enchanted by. He let her eyes swallow him up for a few moments before leaning in and lightly kissing her. She eagerly responded, and soon they found themselves on the bed, missing clothing neither could remember taking off.

There were many hurdles they would have to overcome in the coming journey, and it would likely be long and arduous. Tonight though… tonight it was just Blackheart and Kalara in their own little corner of the world. Whatever tomorrow brought could be thought about tomorrow. This night, they thought of nothing but each other.


	26. Chapter 26 Dustwallow Marsh

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 26

Dustwallow Marsh

As consciousness filtered back to Blackheart and he started to wake for the day he was keenly aware of the warm presence nestled into his side. In the dim pre-dawn light streaming through the window he looked over Kalara's peaceful form. He reached over and brushed some stray hair off her face and in response she murmured in her sleep and snuggled closer to him. He wrapped his arms around her and quietly watched the sunrise through the window. As he looked down at the draenei's sleeping form, he marveled again at just how closely he was able to hold her. Her hand rested on his chest, right over his heart, which she had deftly claimed as her own.

As the warmth of the sun broke through the window Kalara stirred awake, looking sleepily up at him. "Good morning, furball."

Blackheart gently chuckled before kissing her forehead. "Good morning my dear." They lay in bed for a while longer before the city became awake and they could hear the vendors in the distance trying to sell their wares. Blackheart stretched out and swung his legs over the edge of the bed before sitting up.

He felt Kalara drape her arms around him and lean against him. "Must we get up so early all the time?" She asked in a sleepy voice.

"I would like to pick up supplies for the road before the streets get too terribly crowded and so I can get my choice pick of the goods. Would you like to come with me or rest some more?"

At the mention of her staying behind her grip on him tightened a bit. "I'm awake, I'm awake, plus I'm not letting you out of my sight. You always get into trouble."

He turned to look at her. "I think if you will recall it is always you who trouble finds, I just happen to be there. I was just living peacefully in the woods until you came along."

She feigned a hurt expression. "And I suppose it's just been a terrible time being around me, hmm? I do bring a lot of chaos into your life don't I?"

He turned and looked at her seriously for a few moments before answering. "Regardless of the danger, the fights, or the… death, the time I've been able to spend with you has easily been the best time of my life, and I wouldn't do it any differently." He accentuated his point with a tender kiss.

Once they parted she smiled up at him and hugged him quickly before getting dressed and packing up their things. Once out in the hallway they went to the Tauren's rooms and listened at the door. A massive snoring sound, like a woodsman cutting a tree down, was coming from under the door. With a quick smile at each other they decided to let them rest in peace. They locked their room's door and left the inn, hefting their packs and strolling out into the early morning street.

The sun was peeking through the clouds as the two strolled easily, arm in arm, through the street. It wasn't nearly as crowded as it was yesterday when they had arrived and Blackheart felt much more at ease knowing he would be able to sense anyone near him. They took their time, leisurely taking in the sights of the almost peaceful city before venturing over to where the vendors were to purchase some supplies that would help them on their journey.

Once they were loaded up on supplies, they made their way back to the inn. By this time the city was fully awake and Blackheart had to constantly look out for bumping into everyone that was bustling about. Luckily, once they got back to the street that the inns were on it calmed down slightly and they were able to make their way in relative peace.

Upon entering the common room they noticed the two tauren talking to an orc who nodded to them before leaving past Blackheart and Kalara. As they sat down near the two tauren, Blackheart could tell that something was a bit off. There was a sadness to Miakoda that Blackheart didn't quite understand.

Kalara must have picked up on it too. "What's the matter Mia?"

"That orc we were talking to was a wind rider master. We were discussing how… to get me home." She said, staring at the table. She didn't want to leave her friends, but she desperately wanted to see her family.

Kalara and Blackheart both solemnly nodded. They had both come to hold Miakoda as a very close friend and, while they would be sad parting with her, they knew that this was most likely for the best. A family visit was something that Blackheart had been thinking about himself recently.

A thought occurred to Blackheart that made him snicker. When everyone gave him a questioning look, he said, "You're scared to death of boats but you're going to fly somewhere? I'm going to have to be there to watch that."

Miakoda harrumphed before punching him good naturedly on the shoulder. "You hush. It's the fastest way to get there from here and, while I might not be keen on flying, I'm less keen on having to deal with any more raptors we might find along the way."

With that they shared one last meal together, not bothering to talk about the things weighing on their minds, such as Kalara's sister or Miakoda's impending homecoming. Instead they talked of little things and the good memories that they had made together. Once finished, they gathered their belongings and headed for the flight master.

Blackheart could smell the flight master before they rounded the corner and saw their destination. There were a few people milling about standing near the orc he had seen earlier. The orc whistled shrilly and a wind rider. He had never seen one up close before. It was a strange mix between a lion and a bat, though it appeared to be tame enough. It stood calmly as the flight master put the saddle and the rest of the tack on the creature. The orcish customer wasted little time in getting seated and strapped in, though she appeared less than happy once the creature took a couple running bounds and was airborne.

Sinyo turned to face the group. "I'll go ahead and get thing set up while you say your goodbyes, Mia." He turned to Blackheart, extending his large hand. "It was an honor to get to know you Blackheart, and once again you have my thanks for helping out Mia. Perhaps sometime I will be able to repay the favor." Sinyo's hand dwarfed Blackheart's human hand, but they shared a firm handshake nonetheless before he turned and bowed to Kalara. "It was also an honor to meet you. I will take word to the Earthen Ring post near home that I have inducted you so you will be officially listed among our ranks. Good luck finding your sister, and make the Earthen Ring proud." He offered both of them a smile before turning to head for the flight master.

A few tears stung Miakoda's eyes as she gave Kalara a soft hug and wished her well. "Good luck to you, Kalara. I'm sure you'll find your sister and be able to bring her back. Thank you so much for all that you've done for me. Try to keep the furball alive, I think I've grown rather fond of him. And when the time comes, I expect an invitation."

Kalara hugged her back, but gave her a confused look. "An invitation to what?"

Miakoda smiled and sighed, shaking her head at Kalara's obliviousness before turning to Blackheart and surprising him with a rib cracking hug. "You take good care of yourself furball, you hear? And you take good care of Kalara. You better not let anything happen to her, or you're going to have a very angry tauren after you."

When he could breathe after being released, Blackheart nodded. "I will give everything I have to keep her safe."

Miakoda smiled one last time before saying, "I know you will." She waved at both of them before hefting her pack and heading up to the flight master. Her last look back at them was a scowl and a rather rude gesture as Blackheart howled in laughter at the sight of her getting on the wind rider and getting situated. She was airborne and on her way home, but had a feeling this definitely wouldn't be the last time she would see them.

Kalara managed to wait until the two tauren were airborne before she started sniffling and letting a few tears leak down her face. She would miss them both dearly. She felt Blackhearts arms encircle her and she rested her head on his chest for a while until she pushed aside the grief at their parting. She looked up at Blackheart as he gently wiped the tears from her face and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. They then hoisted their packs and, arm in arm, walked through the now busy streets and back out onto the road to head south towards Theramore.

* * *

It took them a few days of foot travel to reach the edge of Dustwallow Marsh. They luckily had managed to avoid any trouble on the short trip there, but Blackheart knew that traversing the Marsh would be quite tricky. It was a decaying place, full of dragons, ogres, spirits, and other strange happenings. One particular area of the marsh that they would have to travel near stuck out to him, and as they stopped for a meal before entering the marsh, he warned Kalara of it.

"There's a place we will have to go by in the swamp to get to Theramore that has creatures in it that aren't quite of this world."

Kalara looked worried. "What do you mean exactly? How are they not of this world?"

"I don't know exactly what they are, but they are dangerous and unpredictable. Some say they are spirits, possibly the ghosts of travelers lost in the swamps or maybe a malefic group of specters summoned by something evil. They've been known to pass by people, leaving them unharmed at times, and other times they have attacked, causing ghastly wounds and being impervious to any normal steel. Your magic might harm them, but as it is we want to try and avoid them."

Kalara considered his words for a few moments. "If they're so dangerous, why don't we just go around them?"

Blackheart sighed and finished eating before answering. "To the north of them leads deeper into the marsh, where it is so easy to get lost I'm not sure that I would be able to lead us out again, and further to the south and we run into ogres and, if you're unlucky, black dragons."

Kalara looked at him before smiling and sarcastically replying, "Sounds like a lovely place you've got here."

"Perhaps not the best place to grow up, but it was home."

They finished eating and packed up their things before descending into the marsh. As they entered Kalara immediately noticed two things: the stench of rotting vegetation and the copious amounts of humidity that clung to her skin and made it hard to breathe. She looked back at Blackheart and saw that he was wrinkling his nose and had a most displeased look on his face. She could only imagine what his heightened sense of smell was doing to him right now.

There was a road, of sorts, that lead through the marsh. At some point in time long ago, before the marsh was actually a marsh, it had been a farmland and a stone road had woven all through the marsh. Now, all that remained was the occasional patch of cobbles that were nearly overgrown. They did their best to follow the road, but often had to go around when the road lead directly into a deep swamp. Kalara had opted to use some of her remaining vials of fish oil to allow them to walk across the swamp, but was quickly down to her last vials and decided it would be best to hold these in case of emergency.

The deeper they got into the marsh, the worse the smell and humidity got, as well as the visibility. The trees that were there seemed to choke out the light, leaving an oppressive gloom that hung all over the place. When a few hours had passed they came to part of the path that was completely submerged underwater for a few hundred paces. They could see the road on the other side coming up out of the muck. When Kalara looked back at Blackheart, he was frowning and eyeing the water suspiciously. "What is it?"

After a few moments consideration, he replied, "This was not here the last time I came through. The Cataclysm must have caused this. If it has just shifted some water around then this road is only a foot or two under the water. We will have to ford it.

She looked to the swamp between them and the road, and then back to Blackheart. "Really? There's no other way around?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. We might try and skirt the edges, but I would rather not be lost in here."

She sighed and followed him as he stepped into the bog. Once she had one hoof in and it squelched down she couldn't help the shudder of revulsion at the feeling of the warm, mucky water. "Gross."

As she waded in next to Blackheart, the water came up to her knees. "This is _really_ gross."

Blackheart gave her a sympathetic look before taking her hand. "The footing in swamps can be treacherous, so keep hold of me and stay close."

Once they were part of the way across the pond, Kalara said, "You know, if you wanted to take a hand in hand walk with me somewhere, you sure picked a sorry place for it. The beech? Nooo. Through the woods? Nope. Soggy, nasty, smelly swamp? Sure. Let's go through…" her words cut off in a gasp as the next steps he took found her sinking rapidly into the swamp. She had stepped into a rather sizeable hole, and only Blackheart's grip on her hand kept her from sinking further than her thighs. He held her up and, gently as he could, brought her over to stand in front of him. She clung to him for a second before stepping a little back from him, away from the hole.

He would have laughed had they both not been so miserable. "How about the next time we are somewhere nice, we'll go for a long walk and you won't have to worry about stepping in something."

She gave him a mock stern look. "You better remember that. I'll hold you to it."

As they were nearing the bank, something started to bother Blackheart. Something was not right, and his danger sense was starting to flare up. He stopped moving for a moment, as did Kalara, and he listened. He couldn't hear or see anything but the feeling was still there. "We need to get out of this swamp. Now."

Kalara had heard that tone and knew Blackheart well enough to not bother asking why, just to do it. They both started rapidly making for the shore and a sense of dread started to overcome Kalara. Something bad was about to happen, the only problem was she didn't know what.

They had just made it to dry land when Kalara heard a splash and a cry of pain from Blackheart. She looked back to see Blackheart being dragged back into the swamp by a large crocolisk. It looked to have bitten into his ankle and was trying to pull him under the water. Blackheart was struggling to get his sword free as they reached the edge of the muck. Kalara pointed her hands forward and let loose with a blast of frost, but it merely froze the surface of the water, missing the crocolisk's descending snout by inches. She watched in horror as Blackheart was pulled under the water. She desperately wanted to user her lightning but that would possibly kill Blackheart as well. As she began to panic, Blackheart burst forth from the water holding his sword over his head and coming down with all of his might repeatedly into the water. The first strike seemed to have little effect and the crocolisk rolled forcing him to go as well or lose his foot. The next time he emerged he struck again, this time with a more true strike. Kalara saw the mucky water take on a red hue and the crocolisk released Blackheart. He fell forward, barely keeping his head above the water and dragged himself towards the shore.

Kalara screamed his name when the crocolisk re-emerged and latched onto his thigh pulling him back in. It pulled him so hard it left his sword buried in the muck. The pain was starting to overwhelm him from his mangled ankle and now his thigh, so Blackheart did the only thing he could think of: he shifted to his worgen form. Shifting while in the jaws of a creature was never a good idea, but he was out of options. He let out another growl of pain as his body grew larger causing the fangs of the crocolisk to sink deeper into his skin, but he let this pain fuel him and soon he was using his sharp claws so slash open the head of the crocolisk. He bent down and grabbed onto the jaws of the beast and started to pull with all his might, and was slowly making progress when he heard a yell and a flash of silver next to him and suddenly the pressure completely eased and he fell back in the water. As he struggled to the surface he saw Kalara leaning over the crocolisk holding his sword that was now buried through the creatures head and into the muck.

Kalara quickly let go of the sword and rushed to Blackheart, dragging him to the edge of the swamp. He tried to help her with his own weight as best as he could, but now that the fight was over and his adrenaline was ebbing away, he found it hard to focus on anything. Once they reached the shore they both collapsed.

Kalara got up quickly and Blackheart heard her stifle a gasp when she looked at his ravaged leg. He didn't want to think about it nor look at it, so he just stared up at the canopy formed by the trees and tried to fight the pain.

Once Kalara got over her shock at seeing Blackheart's injuries, she quickly began to pour healing magic into him. His foot looked more like a piece of raw meat than something belonging to him, and his thigh was in bad shape, with some of his chain linked pants torn and pushed into the wound. There was also blood… a lot of blood. The healing of his foot took much longer than she would have liked. In the short fight with the crocolisk it seemed like somehow infection had already set into the wound, either from the crocolisk itself or from the fetid swamp that they had been fighting in.

Once she had his foot looking more like a foot, she turned her attention to his thigh. Before she healed it, she knew she would have to remove the damaged links of mail that were embedded into it. She reached up and placed her hand on the side of his face for a moment, and he opened his eyes to look at her. "I have to get the chain out. This is going to hurt." He nodded once before closing her eyes and tensing in expectation.

It was a long, slow process of removing all of the small pieces. She couldn't begin to imagine the amount of crushing power the crocolisk's jaws possessed to pierce through the chain mail like that. It would have been bad enough if it had been one or two places, but the crocolisk had rows of serrated teeth that left Blackheart's leg a bloody mess. She cringed every time she pulled out more of the linkage and caused Blackheart to groan. Once she was sure she had all the metal out, she finished healing his leg. It had taken nearly an hour to finish the whole process.

As Blackheart felt the familiar comforting healing waves wash over him he finally began to relax. He had been injured many times but this particular go round had been one of the more unpleasant ones. Fighting a creature like that in its home turf was something he didn't want to try again. He had been partially afraid that he had lost his foot when the thing decided to roll over with him. Once Kalara completed her healing, he shifted back into his human form. He tried to sit up to survey the damage, but with the amount of blood he had lost he immediately was dizzy and fell back down.

Kalara was at his side a moment later with some fresh water which she helped him drink, gently lifting his upper body so he could swallow it easier. He laid back down, resting his head on her legs as he looked up at her. He could see the worry etched into her face and smell it coming off of her in droves. She had saved him once again.

He took hold of her hand before looking up at her. "What would I ever do without you?"

Kalara brushed some of his hair out of his face gently before answering, "I'm not sure. I'm sure you'd find some way to get yourself killed. Can't we just go for a little while without you getting seriously hurt?"

He thought for a moment before responding. "It doesn't seem like it, does it?

A sad smile spread across her features. "No, it doesn't."

He reached up and gently caressed her cheek. "It won't always be like this. Once we get your sister back we can do something peaceful that doesn't involve being attacked by giant elementals or crocolisks or blood elves or anything else."

Kalara nuzzled into his hand for moment before she shook her head and sighed. "I think you're wrong. As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we'll be completely free of conflict ever. Not if I want to keep on with the Earthen Ring… and not if you want to stay beside me." She gathered her thoughts for a few moments. "Given the opportunity, would you settle down right now, and leave all of the danger behind?"

"I would love to never have to worry about your safety again."

"I wasn't talking about my safety, I was talking about you. You were almost killed and we were just going through a swamp. We haven't even crossed the ocean yet, and we still have to make it to the Twilight Highlands and _then_ deal with the Twilight Hammer again, and even then I don't know what we're walking into dealing with my sister. We're going to face so much more danger and I just hate putting you into it."

He smiled at her then. "I would follow you anywhere. You know that. Sure, I would love to live a life of peace but not if it meant I couldn't have you in it. What would be the point then?"

She shook her head before whispering, "But why?"

Blackheart slowly sat up, finally having the strength to do so and pulled her close before looking deep into her eyes. "I thought that would be obvious. I would follow you anywhere because I love you."

She was stunned into silence for a few moments. She felt an outpouring of emotion for the man seated before her and in that instant she knew, without a doubt, of her feelings. "I love you too" she whispered before leaning in and kissing him passionately. There was nothing else in the world but Blackheart, not the swamp or their future journey or even her sister. The only thing in her mind's eye was the man she loved.

Once their lips parted they merely enjoyed looking into each other's eyes for a few moments before Blackheart's stomach rumbling interrupted their shared look. Kalara giggled at the interruption while she began unpacking some food. Blackheart had told her that her healing had always made him hungry afterwards, and she would be perfectly glad to feed him.

Once he had eaten and regained his strength, he waded back out into the swamp to retrieve his sword, having to put some effort into dislodging it from the crocolisk's skull. With the effort it took to pull it out he looked over at Kalara and wondered just how much strength it had taken to drive it through the beast's head. He cleaned his sword the best he could and sheathed it before taking Kalara's hand and continuing on their path.

A few hours of travel later, they were walking along the road when a strange feeling came over Kalara. She felt something tugging at the edge of her senses, but when she looked around she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

"What is it?" Blackheart asked. She smiled in spite of the unease at just how well he could read her.

"I'm… well I'm not sure. There's something out there, or at least it feels like it. Like something keeps tickling at my senses but I can't see or hear anything."

They continued walking for a short way before Blackheart recognized where they were. No wonder Kalara had felt some kind of presence, they were entering the part of the marsh that he most feared, where spirits would wander and travelers would disappear.

"Remember that place I told you about that we would have to be careful of? We're here. I don't know what it will bring, but keep a close lookout and whatever you do, don't follow anything off the path."

The idea seemed absurd to her. "What on Azeroth would make me want to leave you and the path?"

"Just be wary is all." While Blackheart wasn't in his worgen form, she could tell that if he had been his fur would have been standing on end. If something bothered him this much, she would definitely have to watch out for it.

They continued through the marshlands for some time with no interruptions and with neither of them speaking. She could still feel the odd sensation, just at the edges of her senses. She was about to ask Blackheart how much longer it would take to get through his area when she noticed something odd. A small glowing orb of light seemed to appear a few feet off the road. It was emitting a soft blue glow and seemed to whisper in her mind, as if comforting her. She felt a profound sense of peace and wanted to just touch this creature, whatever it was. It felt warm and inviting. She began to slow as they walked past it and made to turn to examine it more. In addition to its warm and comforting presence it was beautiful as well. Soon there were more than just the one, they slowly started to wink into existence and they were surrounded by dozens of the lights. They seemed to her to be so beautiful it was stunning.

She wanted to stop and look at them, but something tugged her attention back to the road. It was Blackheart. He had his eyes fixed dead ahead, doing his best to ignore the lights. He was walking still and she had no choice but to follow him with his firm grip on her hand. It was that or be dragged. Once she had taken a few steps she became a little confused. Why had she wanted to go towards the lights? Her place was with Blackheart. Once she realized this and stepped up beside him to walk away from the lights, everything about them changed.

The lights stopped glowing an inviting blue and changed to a menacing black color, and in the place of the comfort she felt from she only felt malice and evil. Blackheart picked up his pace and she did the same. Soon the lights started emitting a horrible buzzing noise that grated on her nerves… and they were following them. The lights began to swoop around their group, and she ducked as one came for her. Blackheart was trying to dodge them as well when one came from behind and went through his leg. As it exited the other side he hissed and nearly went down to one knee and as Kalara tried to help him one passed through her shoulder. It felt cold like nothing she had ever experienced and her shoulder was immediately numb.

Once Blackheart regained his footing her tugged on her hand. "Run!"

They started to sprint along the road, trying to avoid the balls of light as best they could and, when they were struck, trying not to stumble too much. Kalara tried hitting them with a blast of lightning and, while it would strike one day, there was always another to take its place. Soon, the buzzing intensified and when it reached a point where her head was pounding with it… it stopped. She didn't feel any relief at this though, because she knew something worse was coming. The lights were now an angry red and they swirled around her and Blackheart before all at once diving into the ground.

She was looking around, trying to decide what had happened when the ground a few feet away erupted in a shower of dirt and a skeleton with glowing red eyes landed in front of her. Before she even had time to gasp, Blackheart's sword sliced down through it, breaking bones as it went and extinguishing the red light in its eyes. They tried to hurry forward, but soon realized it wouldn't be that simple when skeletons began leaping out of the ground all around them. Soon the two of them were surrounded by unmoving skeletons with red glowing eyes.

Kalara balled up her fists, calling lightning and fire to fight for her, before saying, " I really, _really_ hate this swamp."

"Are you ready?" Blackheart asked in his husky worgen voice.

Kalara hadn't even noticed him shift but knew that the extra strength he got in that form would be well worth it. "Ready as I'll ever be." As she finished speaking she pointed each hand at a different skeleton and unleashed the stored elemental energy, incinerating one completely with the fire of her left hand and blasting one to pieces with the electricity in her right. As if on cue, the skeletons raised their arms and opened their mouths in a silent battle cry and charged them.

In tandem the two of them worked together, Kalara blowing the skeletons apart with elemental fury and Blackheart deftly cutting them down with his sword or smashing them to pieces by slamming them into the ground with his shield. As they fought, she felt a connection with Blackheart like she never had before. It was almost as if their minds were one and they could cover each other's weaknesses before they appeared. As Blackheart was trying to dislodge his sword from one of the skeletons and another one came up on him, Kalara deftly blasted it away with lightning before turning her attention back to her side. A few moments later when she felt a skeletal hand close around her arm it was jerked loose as the thing was cut in two by a slash from Blackheart.

She bumped into Blackheart's back and they leaned against each other as she blasted the last skeleton to pieces. Bleached bones lay scattered everywhere, but none of the skulls had glowing eyes any longer. The battle only lasted a minute, but they were both panting from the intensity of the fight. She felt Blackheart tense behind her and she turned, electricity arcing from her hands ready to fight when all she saw was one of the lights, now glowing blue again. It seemed to consider them for a few moments before streaking off into the swamp away from the road and vanishing.

"Can we never come through this swamp again?" She asked as the elemental magic dissipated from her hands.

"If I have a choice in the matter we won't."

After sheathing his weapon, Blackheart stayed in his worgen form as they continued along the swampy road. "We should arrive at the edges of Theramore in a few hours by mid-day tomorrow."

It was nearing nightfall and they were about to make camp when voices filtered through the trees to them. Neither of them could quite make out what was being said.

"I'm going to have a look." Blackheart said, but stopped going when Kalara gripped his fur.

"And what, leave me here on the road? I don't think so." Kalara said, one eyebrow cocked doing her best imitation of him.

He gave her a toothy smile before nuzzling the side of her face and went on towards the voice, with Kalara right behind him. As they got closer, they decided it was two voices and they were arguing. Blackheart was trying to determine what was ahead by smell, but mixed in with the plant life was such a cacophony of smells he couldn't place anything specific.

The first voice, low and gravelly, said, "Ye just had to have this forsaken plant didn't ye?"

A second, higher pitched voice, said, "Of course! It was tantamount that I get it for my experiment. And it's not forsaken, it's just very rare."

"And did ye know it was right here?"

"Well of course! I always know just where everything is at."

"So ye mean ye intentionally led us out into this?"

"It's where the flower was, so yes."

"Well why didn't ye bloody well say it was in the middle of a bloody quick sand pit?!" The gravelly voice began to sound a little bit irate at this point.

"I didn't think it was relevant."

Blackheart and Kalara looked at each other, sharing an odd look, before rounding the corner and seeing one of the oddest things they had seen on their journey yet. In the middle of a pit of quick sand was a dwarf up to his neck in the pit. The odd part was that he was holding a female gnome above his head, and she herself was holding a strange contraption with pincers at the end, reaching for all her worth towards an oddly colored flower in the middle of the pit. At the edge of the pit was a small cart with a bored looking pony attached to it. There were a few bags in the cart as well.

"Ye didn't think it was relevant that I'd be nearly up to me eyeballs in quicksand afore today was done?"

The gnome swatted the dwarf on the nose gently, saying, "Hush! You're fine. I'll have this flower in… just… a… bit… further…" with that stretched to her limits and grabbed the flower with the contraption. "Hurray!" she shouted, doing a little victory flourish before putting the flower in her bag. "Now," she pointed to the shore, "let's get out of here."

"Oi, finally." The dwarf said. He turned to go towards the shore… but didn't move. "Blasted… quick… sand… can't… m…." His words ended in bubbles as his struggling only caused him to sink deeper until his mouth was covered.

"Oh dear…" the gnome said, finally realizing her predicament. The dwarf rolled his eyes and bubbles came out from where his mouth was.

Blackheart had seen enough. As he and Kalara came through the bushes the gnome perked up immediately. "Oh what a timely arrival for you two to make. I don't suppose you would be so kind as to help us out, would you?"

Kalara said, "That's the plan. Do you have any rope.?"

A few bubbles came from the dwarf before he sighed and remained silent. The gnome answered, "Yes, in that pack there by our cart."

Blackheart found the pack she was talking about, pulled the rope out, and made a lasso from it. After a few tries he managed to get it over the dwarve's outstretched arms. The dwarf lowered his arms so that he could grip the rope and when the gnome gave Blackheart a thumbs up he and Kalara gently but firmly pulled on the rope. Trying to pull backwards didn't move the dwarf at all. After a few more tries, Blackheart decided to change tactics and wrapped the rope around his waist and bent down on all fours, using his claws to grip with. This time when he pulled forward the dwarf moved, slowly at first, but eventually he made it all the way out of the pit before gently setting his charge down and then promptly collapsing.

Kalara started to move forward to help but the gnome waved her off. "Oh Thrak is fine, he just needs a little rest is all. I guess I could introduce us. I'm Maleah Feldspar and this is Thrak, my husband." At the mention of his name he raises his hand and waved a greeting before letting it fall back down.

Blackheart and Kalara shared a look. He had never heard of a dwarf and a gnome marrying, but considering their odd pairing he decided it wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility. Blackheart proceeded to introduce him and Kalara.

Maleah hopped up into her cart and pulled the flower out of her bag and put it in a pestle and immediately started to grind it. Blackheart watched, amused, as her purple ponytail swayed rhythmically with her grinding. She had blue eyes and they were intently watching her pestle. Thrak, when cleaned off, was found to have brilliantly red hair and a long beard that he spent many moments and a copious amount of water trying to clean. He had slate grey eyes, and once he had the energy to sit up he had thanked them profusely.

"What is that flower for?" Blackheart asked.

"You'll see, it's almost ready!" Maleah shouted happily. She pulled out a few glass vials containing various other ingredients and mixed them all together, making a potion that was a brilliant pink. She said, "Bottoms up!" as she drank it. For a few moments nothing happened and Blackheart looked back and forth between the odd pair. Thrak looked as if this was a normal occurrence, and looked back to Maleah in time to see her jerk once and then… her hair instantly turned the same brilliant shade of hot pink that the potion was colored. "Success!" she said, giving them a thumbs up.

Kalara was dumfounded. "Wait… you came all the way out to Dustwallow Marsh and waded out into quick sand, just so you could turn your hair pink? Couldn't you have just dyed it?"

Thrak was already shaking his head and gave Blackheart a look like this argument had already been had… and lost.

In a sarcastic tone Maleah said, "Well of course I could _dye_ it, but that will eventually fade. This, my dear draenei, is permanent!"

Blackheart and Kalara shared another look before busting out laughing, and soon Thrak and Maleah followed. Their pony had stood completely impassive the entire time. With the eccentrics of its owner, there was probably little left that would startle it. The worgen turned to Thrak, saying, "Well, we're headed towards Theramore, I don't suppose you'd be headed that way would you?"

Thrak smiled. "Oh certainly! Now that we have this," he inserted a long string of dwarvish that, from Maleah's narrowed eyes, was some form of extended curse," potion taken care of, we'll be heading back. You're welcome to hitch a ride. It's the least we can do to thank you." With that they shook hands and Blackheart and Kalara climbed into the back of the cart and were on their way to Theramore.


	27. Chapter 27 Home

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 27

Home

Blackheart's group had continued on the road to Theramore for another couple of hours before it started to get too dark to see and they set up a small camp. He had found out from Thrak that the road between them and the island city was in good enough shape that their pony and cart would do just fine. They pulled their pony off to the side of the road and picketed her so she could graze on what little vegetation was available (and not poisonous). They found a relatively dry spot to start a fire, and Thrak and Maleah offered them some of the food they had brought, which Blackheart and Kalara gladly accepted.

As they were setting out their bedrolls after the meal, Blackheart shifted back to his human form causing Thrak to nearly jump out of his seat while Maleah clapped and asked him to do it again, like a child whose parent had showed her a trick.

He shifted back to his worgen form for a second before shifting back to being a human. "Wow!" Maleah exclaimed, clapping once again in delight. "That's amazing. I hadn't even seen any of the new Alliance worgen yet, much less get to see one change. What does it feel like? Does it hurt? Can you always do it at will? How often can you change? What else changes?" she rattled off a few more questions before Thrak laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Calm down dear, I'm sure Blackheart doesn't care to be bombarded with questions about what he is."

Blakcheart and Kalara both laughed at the little gnome before he replied. "I don't mind at all, but if you do want answers you'll have to slow down so I can actually answer your questions before you ask more. To start with, if you can imagine all of your bones restructuring themselves at once, that's what it feels like. I've done it enough that I don't really notice the pain associated with it. As far as I know, yes I can do it as often as I want. When I'm a worgen I'm faster and stronger than as a human, with the obvious benefits of fur, claws, and fangs."

She nodded her head. "So how did you become a worgen? And how did you learn to change back? And how did you avoid being a crazy killer worgen? Are you from Gilneas? You don't sound like you're from Gilneas. Can you bite someone and make them a worgen? Could you bite me and make me a worgen? A gnome worgen, that would be awesome!"

Blackheart raised his hands to calm her. "For your last points, no I don't think you can become a worgen. As far as I know only humans and night elves can contract this… curse. And no, I'm not from Gilneas. I'm from Thearmore." Blackheart spent the next while recounting his story of being bitten, somehow not losing his sanity, and then going to Darnassus and discovering how to change back into human.

Maleah had sat in rapt attention the entire time of his story. "Wow, that's amazing. You've got quite the willpower."

Blackheart nodded. "You should all get some sleep. I'll take the first watch." With that, he turned back into a worgen and found a decent spot from which to watch over their camp. As he settled in he turned his thoughts to what tomorrow would bring. Theramore had been his home, or at least near enough. He had grown up just outside of it in a community so small it wasn't even on the map. His house had actually been within sight of the tower in the center of Theramore. He wondered if it would still be there… if his family would still be there. Either way, tomorrow would be when he found out.

The night had passed uneventfully, to Blackheart's great relief. After the struggle with the crocolisks and whatever the strange sprites had been he was thankful to not have another fight on his hands when they had tried to rest. Just before sunrise he had woken up to find Thrak sitting on a stump watching over the camp. He could feel Kalara snuggled up against him and heard the faint breathing of Maleah. As the sun finally broke into the swamp he felt the familiar rush of energy as it swept through. Even amidst the rotting plants and fetid water that lay around him it was a beautiful event. Not quite as amazing as some of the other places he had been to, but beautiful nonetheless.

Shortly thereafter, the party ate a light breakfast and got on their way. Blakcheart and Kalara once again rode in the back of the wagon amid bags of reagents and beakers for alchemical experiments and Thrak and Maleah sat up front. Blackheart was thinking about his family and something must have shown on his face because he felt Kalara's hand caress his cheek. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He sighed and spent a moment collecting his thoughts before he spoke. "My mother and siblings should be in Theramore, if nothing has happened to them. Will they have stayed in the same house? Are they even still on this continent? What do I even say to them? They will have assumed I've died. I've been gone… I'm not even sure how long I've been gone, over a year at least. I remember that I should have been home long ago and they probably got word that my detachment was lost."

Kalara wrapped her arms around him in a hug and rested her head on his shoulder as the bumped along. "We'll find them. If they aren't in Theramore, surely someone will know where they've gone, and as far as what to say to them I wouldn't worry about it too much. I think they'll be too overjoyed at seeing you to worry about what to say."

Blackheart rested his hand on hers and took solace in the comfort she was providing him. He also wondered how to introduce Kalara to them. He loved her and hoped his family would accept her for that. His mother had always been compassionate and kind regardless of race, so he prayed that she hadn't changed. Then again, with the way his world had been turned on end so many times in a short while, he didn't truly know what to expect. There was something else that nagged at him about returning home, some other bad memory but he couldn't really place what it was. After it eluded his memory for so long he gave up on it and returned to focusing on the comfort he got from Kalara.

They had ridden uneventfully for a few hours when they finally started to reach the edges of civilization. The roads were better maintained, they actually passed a few other travelers, and Blackheart picked up on the salty tang in the air that accompanied the ocean being nearby. They were within sight of Theramore when Blackheart bade Thrak to stop his cart. He hopped out and helped Kalara down before thanking the dwarf and his wife for their hospitality and companionship.

"Aye, think nothing of it. Ye saved us two, ye did. If ye've a mind to come into town, ye should stop by Maleah's shop and visit."

Kalara smiled at the two as she waved goodbye. "We might just do that." She turned back to Blackheart and saw him looking down a narrow path that led off the road and into a clearing where she could just make out a few buildings. "Is this it?"

He nodded. "My home is the furthest one back in that small community. I guess there's not much left but to go to it."

They walked slowly, hand in hand, towards the small community. It took only a few minutes' walk to reach it. There were people going about their daily chores and, with the occasional look at the draenei among them, they paid little attention to the couple. Blackheart slowed as he passed all of the houses and reached the last one and Kalara felt him tense up. When she examined the house more closely she understood why.

It didn't appear that anyone lived there. There was no sign of movement, no sounds coming from within and, while it wasn't in a terrible state of disrepair, it looked like no-one had been there to care for it for a while. It wasn't a large house, by any means, but it had three bedrooms and looked to be built sturdy enough. It had a small porch and the side that they could see had three windows. Blackheart sniffed the air as he walked up onto the small porch. He could smell very faint traces that jogged his memory of his home. Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the unlocked door.

Inside the house was completely empty. Blackheart felt a great weight settle in his chest as he slowly went from room to room, finding nothing but the occasional scrap of garbage that had been left behind. He stopped at the second room and felt along the familiar ridges that had been cut in the door frame. Kalara looked closer at what he was examining and saw that there were a set of cuts going up both sides of the door frame, one side had a 'K' under one of the marks and the other side had a 'W' carved under them. The K marks ended just short of how tall Blackheart was while the W marks were slightly shorter than Kalara.

As he ran his hands over one, Blackheart said, "My brother and I used to carve ridges in the door to measure how tall we were." Kneeling down to the one marked W that was three feet off the ground. "I remember helping to carve his first mark. Wayne was so excited that he was old enough to start being measured. Before I left for my last campaign he was almost as tall as you are."

As he rubbed the last cut he had made for his brother in the doorway a memory came rushing back to him. He was standing in his armor, his father's sword strapped on his hip, looking his brother up and down. He had nearly come of age and Blackheart could tell that his brother was excited to be measured one last time before Blackheart went off on another deployment. This was his fifth time to go into action and he was quickly gaining some notoriety in the upper ranks. If he kept this up he might even make officer someday.

He had just finished carving the mark before his brother wrapped him in a tight embrace. "You be careful out there alright?" Blackheart nodded and smiled, affectionately ruffling the boy's hair. "You'll have to come back soon, or else I'll be hard pressed to keep all the boys away from Jonie."

Blackheart remembered laughing deeply at that. "Well we certainly can't have some rascal trying to sweep her off her feet can we?" They shared another smile together before the memory faded.

Kalara searched his face, waiting for him to tell her what had happened. He shook his head, clearing away the old memories. "Just reliving some memories."

Blackheart was about to go into his room and look around when a loud voice from the door stopped him. "Can I help you folks?" His voice didn't sound helpful… but it was familiar. "We don't take kindly to people squattin' in these houses, so if you'll just be on about your way there won't be no need to call the constable. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to…" the man trailed off speaking as Blackheart turned to face him.

He recognized the man; he had been their neighbor growing up. Jim Lars had been his name, and he'd had a wife once, though Blackheart had never known her. Jim though had always been a friend of the family's. He was an older man, easily three times Blackheart's age. His hair, what little he had, was all gray and he had big bushy eyebrows. The pitchfork he had been holding fell to the floor as recognition bloomed in the old man's face a look of disbelief crossed his features. "Kaleth? Is that you boy?"

Blackheart walked over to Jim. "Yes sir."

"But… everyone said you was dead. Them military boys came and said your whole group was dead. The look on your momma's face…" he trailed off, looking into the distance as a memory surfaced. He shook his head before smiling broadly and wiping a tear from his eye. "Well it doesn't matter now, you're alive and back home!" He reached out and gave Blackheart a hug, surprising him with the strength left in the old man's frame.

Ending the embrace, Blackheart held the man at arm's length and asked the obvious question that burned in his mind. "Mr. Lars, where is my family?"

The old man looked around for a moment. "Well, after you didn't come back I reckon your momma didn't want to live in this house no more. Her and Wayne and Jonie moved into the town proper. They come and visit this old soul every now and then."

Blackheart nodded. "Do you know where in Theramore they live?"

Jim scratched his chin. "No, I don't rightly think I do. I don't go into the town too much; I just tend my garden and don't stray too far from home."

Blackheart reached for the pitchfork and handed it back to the older man. "Thank you Mr. Lars. I think I'm going to take a look around the house and then head into town and see if I can find them. If by any chance you see them, would you let them know I'm looking for them?"

After shaking hands, the old man departed. "He's been our neighbor since I can remember and helped to look after my siblings after my dad was killed."

Kalara hugged his arm, waiting for him to take the lead. After a moment he continued back into his room, looking around and telling her stories of him growing up. He moved on to his sister Jonie's room and was hit with more memories.

He was sitting next to her on her bed and she was bawling her eyes out. In her hands was a small box with a cat in it. Its breathing was ragged and as she stroked its head it coughed a few times before giving a feeble purr. She looked up at Blackheart with tear filled eyes. "Why does this have to happen? Why does Fresca have to get sick? It's not fair!"

Blackheart wrapped an arm around his sister in an effort to calm her down. "I know it's not fair Jonie. And I don't know why she had to get sick. I don't think everything happens for a reason. If it did, no one's cat would be sick. And you are absolutely right, it isn't fair. But you've got to remember that life isn't about being fair. Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Or cats. The only thing we can do with life is to live it the best we know how and, when someone has to pass on, we have to remember the good times we had with them."

She had stopped crying now, but was still sniffling as she hugged her big brother. "Ok. How do I do that?"

He smiled at her. "Do you remember when Fresca was chasing the mouse around the kitchen?"

A smile started to creep onto Jonie's tear stained face. "You mean the one that tried to hide under mom's dress?"

"That very one! And then when Fresca saw where it went it charged under mom's dress and the mouse ran up her leg and she was so startled she through the dough she was working straight up before throwing both Fresca and the mouse out of the house?"

Jonie was laughing now. "The dough stuck on the ceiling and it took forever for us to get it down. I think there might still be some up there now."

The two of them shared a few more stories of Fresca's antics before the cat passed on, purring till the very end.

Leaving Jonie's room, he showed Kalara the rest of the house, pointing to where the kitchen table used to be and how they would share family meals. Eventually he left the house and went around to the back where an overgrown garden could be found. He could almost hear his mother's voice, teaching him about the various herbs that she grew and what their purpose was. While possibly not the most manly of things he could have spent his time doing, he had always enjoyed helping his mother tend her garden. The pure delight that she had when she made something grow had always made Blackheart happy.

The last stop he made was at an old storage shed, now dilapidated and barely holding up. He had ran out here as a young child when his father had come home to tell them he would be leaving to go fight in some distant part of the Eastern Kingdoms he had never heard of. To put it mildly, Blackheart had not been happy. He'd been so angry at his dad who was constantly called away from his family to go out and fight. He just didn't understand why he had to go.

He didn't look at his father as he came and eased himself down beside Blackheart, staring with him out into the small patch of woods near their home. After a while his father broke the silence. "Do you know why I have to leave all the time, son?" Blackheart just shook his head. "Do you understand what it is that I do?"

Blackheart answered this time. "You fight."

"Aye, I do fight. But do you know why I fight?" Blackheart shook his head again. "Do you think I enjoy fighting others?" Blackheart thought back to the only time he had ever seen his father become violent, or even truly angry for that matter.

Someone had been harassing his mother, constantly coming up and bothering her. Each time his father had calmly told the man to leave her alone. Once the man had even taken a swing at him, but he calmly deflected the attack and sent the man sprawling with a well-placed shove. He hadn't even been angry as he looked at the man in disappointment. The next time he'd had dealings with the man, he had grabbed Blackheart's mother's arm as she was coming out of a store and caused her to trip and fall, bruising her knee.

Blackheart's father had been across the street and witnessed it all before getting to his wife. He calmly helped her to her feet and made sure she was ok before turning on the man. The look that was in his eyes had made Blackheart afraid at the time, and he wasn't even the target of his father's wrath. His father had picked the man up and slammed him against the wall of the store, holding him all the way off the ground before telling him in a deathly calm voice that if he ever came within ten paces of his wife again that he would make sure the man couldn't walk. Blackheart thought that the man had soiled himself before he was thrown out into the street, collected his wife, and went home. Blackheart thought then to his own times in dealing with someone that had bothered Kalara. Like father like son.

So the answer to his father's question was again no. He knew his father didn't like to fight, but it seemed that he did it all the time anyway. "Then why do you keep leaving?" Blackheart asked.

Blackheart's father placed a hand on his shoulder before saying, "I fight to help protect other people. I don't fight for glory or for the enjoyment of fighting; I fight for the people that can't fight for themselves. There will come a time when you will be a man and you'll have your own strength, just like mine and you'll have a choice. Good men, and women, with strength have a responsibility to use it to help others. The choice you have to make is whether or not you'll be one of the good men and embrace your duty, or if you'll be one of the bad men that refuse to help others. I have chosen to help others. I hope you'll choose the same path and maybe you can understand all of this one day." That was the last time Blackheart had seen his father in the world of the living.

He nodded in respect to his father then, fully understanding the lesson and a sense of pride filled him as he knew he had constantly made the right choices, starting from the time he had joined in the military and never stopping, even as a worgen. He knew definitively where his instinct to help others had come from and realized he had his father to thank for his choice to save Kalara on that day so long ago.

Once they completed their tour of the house, they set off for Theramore. While they could see the tower in the center of the island then entire time they were walking, it still took them a half hour to make it to the bridge leading to the city. There was little traffic going in or out, there rarely ever was, and most of it was people that lived in the outer communities coming back from selling things at the market that was held every day.

It was past midday by the time they finally set foot inside Theramore. Snatches of memories kept coming back to Blackheart as he looked at the city. He could remember accompanying his mother hear to sell some of the baked goods she made at home. With that income and whatever odd jobs he and his brother had found, they had survived. He was drawn to look towards the barracks. He remembered enlisting, and the only fight he had ever gotten in with his family. He pointed the building out and told Kalara about how vehemently opposed his family had been to him going into the military like their father. Since he'd nearly been killed and they thought he was dead still, he fully understood why they had fought him so hard on that. The uneasy feeling that he had felt on his way to Theramore returned when he looked at the barracks. He tried to dismiss it as nothing, but it was persistent. He still couldn't figure it out and would just have to wait until later.

"We should probably find an Inn to stay at before it gets too late, and then we'll search a little bit tonight and then more in the morning if we don't find anything." Blackheart said, heading to the nearest inn labeled 'The Happy Sailor'. It had a picture of a human in the clothes of a sailor wearing a massive smile. He'd never needed to stay at any of the inns in town and, never having the urge to drink, hadn't bothered to visit the taverns inside them either.

The inn wasn't terribly crowded, at least not at this time of day. There were a few people sitting around the common room, having a meal or a pint, so Blackheart walked to the inn keeper. He was a portly fellow with less hair on his head than were on his arms. He was idly cleaning out a glass behind the bar. He offered thema pleasant smile before asking, "Can I help you this evening?"

Blackheart nodded. "We need a room for the night." Blackheart's nose crinkled up as he opened his wallet and realized it still held some leftover swamp smell. Thinking about it, he probably didn't smell so hot either. "And a place to take a bath if there is one."

The inn keeper nodded with a smile and took his coins. "Certainly, you can have the first room to the left," he said after producing a key, "and I'll have hot water and soap brought up for you, each room has a small washing area in it."

When they entered the room, Blackheart marveled at the 'small washing area'. It was a huge tub in a completely separate room from where the bed and other furniture was at. He got the feeling that people that stayed here often asked for a bath, which he couldn't blame them. He couldn't wait to stop smelling like the swamp. He did wonder if every room had an extra tub, or if he had just smelled extra strong. After setting their traveling gear down there was a knock at the door and they admitted a couple of attendants carrying buckets of hot water. Once the tub was filled they left.

"I cannot wait to sleep in a real bed and have a nice bath after trekking through that swamp." Kalara said. She walked up to him and placed her hands on his chest and gave him her best begging face. "Can I pleeeeeease go first?"

Blackheart just smiled before taking her in his arms and kissing her. "Yes love, of course."

A short while later the two emerged from their room, smelling much better than before, and ate a quick meal before heading out into Theramore to search as best as they could with the fading light. As they ate, Blackheart caught a smell that he recognized from somewhere in his memory, but he couldn't quite place it. Thinking little more of it, they headed out into the street.

Blackheart didn't have a particular plan when looking. The only thing he could thing to do, at the moment, was to ask the shop keepers if they had ever heard of any of his relatives. Most of them had not, but one seemed to think that his mother might work at a particular bakery. It was closed by the time they arrived though, as were most of the businesses. They returned to the inn with only a slight feeling of frustration.

As he entered the inn a familiar smell came to him, but he couldn't quite place what it was. They were going to head up to their room when Blackheart asked the inn keeper about his family. The jovial man's face lit up in a smile that surprise Blackheart. "Jonie Bishop? Of course I know her, she's one of my cooks! Why, business has nearly doubled since she came in and started cooking for me."

Blackheart simply could not believe his luck. "Is she here now?"

"Oh no." The inn keeper waved vaguely over his head towards the kitchen. "She just went home. Her brother came to walk her home."

"Can you tell me where she lives?" Blackheart asked eagerly.

The man eyed him for a second. "Why do you want to know?"

As much as he appreciated the man's caution at directing a stranger to where his sister, and possibly his whole family, lived he was growing impatient. "Does she ever talk about her past?" The innkeeper nodded. "And did she ever tell you about her older brother?"

"You mean Wayne?" He asked, looking confused.

"No… the other one."

At this the innkeeper took on a somber look. "Yes, she told me about him… Kaleth I think was his name. Said he joined the military and was sent somewhere to the north but was killed in action."

Blackheart nodded before looking the innkeeper in the eyes. "Well... he wasn't killed, and he'd very much like to see his family again."

Recognition slowly bloomed over the innkeepers face as he noted the similarities between Blackheart, Jonie, and Wayne. "You mean… you're Kaleth? Why she'll be… she'll be ecstatic!" He gave them direction to where Jonie lived and they set out quickly after them.

It wasn't terribly far away, a few minutes walking distance, and all along the way he could smell the familiar scent he now recognized. It was Jonie. He had smelled it in her room at his old house and now his heightened senses easily picked it out of the web of other scents that ran rampant in the dark streets. They were making good progress, following what street signs did exist until something stopped Blackheart in his tracks for a moment. It was the heavy smell of malice… and it was going in the same direction as his sister's scent.

He broke into a jog and looked over at Kalara. "Something's wrong, there's someone with bad intentions going the same way that Jonie should have gone."

Kalara's face took on a look of sympathy for a moment. She knew that Blackheart had just found a trace of his family and now there might be something threatening it. She could relate to that well. The sympathetic look lasted only a moment, replaced by one of determination. She nodded and held up a fist arcing with lightning. "You go ahead, I can follow the directions well enough to catch up later."

With a nod and an influx of blackness, Blackheart took off through the streets and, with a powerful spring from his legs, to the rooftops so he could avoid any foot traffic that was out this evening. Though he couldn't follow Jonie's scent from up here, he could follow the directions just by looking at the streets and how he was supposed to turn. It took him only a moment to locate his target: two people turning down an alley... followed a short way later by six more.

Wayne knew the men were following him and his sister, and he had a pretty good guess as to who it was too. He'd already had to fight off one of the local men, one 'Jam' Taylor as he was known. He'd made unwanted advances on Jonie, which wasn't all that uncommon. The not so normal part was that even after repeated no's he still hadn't taken the hint. He'd actually cornered her on her walk home once and, if it hadn't been for a passing guard, there's no telling what he would have done. Since then, Wayne had made it a point to walk Jonie home every evening. He'd already had what amounted to a shoving match with the man earlier that week. It seemed he was now out for revenge.

Jam wasn't used to being told no and he definitely wasn't used to being forced to back down by someone nearly ten years his junior. He intended to have that Jonie girl, regardless of who protected her. So he figured he'd gather up a few of his friends and teach them a lesson. His 'friends' were little more than street thugs, good for only one thing: violence.

He knew the route that Jonie would take home; he'd followed her more than once. So as she and her brother turned down the alley she always took, he and his friends… half of his friends… hurried to block this side of it. He already had a few more friends waiting at the other end. There'd be no escape for them this night.

Wayne was just thinking that they were in the clear when another five men stepped in to block the way they were headed. They didn't make any more except to stand shoulder to shoulder to completely stop them from coming.

"Wayne… what's going on?" Jonie asked as he brought them both to a stop.

Wayne looked back at his sister and could see the fear starting to grow in her eyes. "I'm gonna be straight with you sis, we're in a bad spot. Jam is following us and I guess those guys up there are his dogs too." His words were confirmed when they turned around and saw Jam and the rest of his thugs coming at them from the other end of the alley. Wayne looked around, but could find no escape, he even tried a few of the doors but to no avail.

He looked at Jonie and noticed something replace the fear in her eyes: determination. She reached down and from somewhere in the folds of her dress pulled out a rather sizeable knife. He didn't question where she had gotten it or how she had hidden it, she just hoped it would help her escape.

Wayne looked back and forth between the two advancing groups of men. "Jonie… whatever happens if you see a chance to run you have got to make a break for it. Find a guard and get him to come, or a few guards. Just don't wait around on me."

She wanted to argue with him, but knew that it was their best chance, so she merely nodded. It wasn't long before they were surrounded by the men to their sides and the walls of the alley to their back and front. One lone man walked out in front of them and she almost spit in disgust.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here boys. This looks like the young punk who was getting in the way of my courting. Now why would you go and do such a thing like that boy?" Jam had a greasy smile on his face and it made both Wayne and Jonie's skin crawl.

"You know why. Jonie doesn't want anything to do with you." Wayne kept himself between Jonie and Jam while he was talking.

"She just hasn't gotten to know me!" he said melodramatically, feigning hurt. "How could she just outright toss me aside after being such a tease in the inn, always smiling at a fella when he's getting a drink." He waved his face as if he was hot. "It's enough to get one's blood boiling. Any girl that smiles at you like that ought to know she's offering more than a meal to go with it." He finished off with a lewd stare at Jonie.

"You keep on believing that you piece of filth." Jonie said with as much venom as she could muster.

Jam's countenance changed rapidly. He was now scowling. "If there's one thing I hate more than a woman leading me on it's a woman telling me what to do. I'm afraid tonight my dear that you won't have much of a choice but to get to know me better. Boys, show this little bastard who he's dealing with."

His group of thugs started to move towards Wayne. He was looking them all over, trying to figure out a way to break through them when he heard a loud, threatening growl. The men stopped advancing and looked around before Jam spoke up. "Which one of you idiots brought a dog with you." His men were equally confused and looked around trying to find the source of the noise. When it came again, this time louder, one of the men finally looked up and let out a startled cry at what he saw: perched on the edge of the roof overlooking the alley was a large, black worgen, his teeth bared and his hackles on end.

"What in the hell is that?" Jam asked, slowing backing up.

Wayne looked up and was rooted in place in fear. He knew that the Alliance had found a group of worgen from Gilneas that were friendly, and even had seen a few of them boarding ships in the harbor, but they had looked friendly enough. This one was terrifying. Before he had much of a chance to process it, the worgen leapt down between him and Jam. He heard Jonie gasp and stumble against the alley wall slightly before Wayne felt his back pressed up against it as the creature stood up to its full eight foot tall height, easily towering over the tallest thug there by a foot and a half. He was already terrified, but then he heard it speak.

The worgen raised one of its hands and slid out its claws slowly, letting them shine and display their sharpness. In a deep, menacing voice it said, "If you or your… men," he nearly spat the word, "want to leave this alley on their own two legs, I would suggest you go. Now."

Jam looked around at his group. They outnumbered the creature by a fair margin. Surely they could bring it down together. He pulled out a club he had been hiding and the other men did the same with their weapons, most having some sort of blunt object but a few carrying daggers. He noticed one of his men had started to sneak towards the creature. He almost smiled in anticipation and as the man got closer he raised his own club as if to charge and watched the thug swing his rough mace as hard as he could at the creature's back.

His happiness was short lived however as the worgen, almost too fast for his eyes to follow, turned and caught the haft of the mace, stopping it cold. The attacker barely had time to register what had happened when there was a sickening crunch as Blackheart's fist collided with the man's face with enough force to crush his nose and send him head over heels to land unconscious in the dirt. Blackheart looked at Jam and gave him a toothy, malice filled smile. "Next," he growled.

Nearly all of the men started in for Blackheart at once. Generally ten on one were not good odds in a fight. But also generally it wasn't one highly skilled and angry worgen in a fight against ten unskilled street thugs who were barely armed. Even properly equipped, they would have been hard pressed to best him. He was a fury of punch, kicks, slicing claws, and snapping teeth. The first man came at him with a club in a lumbering overhand strike. He was soon writing in pain with deep claw marks down his chest. The next man in line fared little better as he was sent flying out of the group holding his profusely bleeding arm. Blackheart was doing his best not to kill any of these men, but he didn't think any of them should be able to walk away from this.

Blackheart and the group of men surrounding him eventually moved away from Wayne and Jonie. Jam saw this as an opportunity and pulled two of the men away and headed towards his two original targets. With the way the worgen was tearing up the rest of his group he knew he would need to hurry. Wayne saw the men coming and stepped up to place himself once more between the threat and his sister. He raised his fist and took on a fighting stance. Perhaps they might best him still, but three on one the odds were significantly better for him than it previously had been.

Jam laughed as he saw Wayne preparing to fight. He'd be unconscious soon enough and then Jonie would be all his. His laughter was cut short, however, as something flashed by in the darkness and temporarily blinded him. Once his vision had returned he noticed one of his thugs was gone. A quick look around and he spotted the man, laying a few feet away and jerking rather violently with smoke coming from his back. Before he had time to question what had happened, the same thing happened again to the other man, leaving him convulsing and laying on top of the other one.

When he looked around to determine what had happened to the two, he saw a figure coming up the street towards him that was nearly as startling as the worgen had been. A lone female draenei was walking towards them. Her fists were arcing with lightning and she looked very angry.

Blackheart was finishing up this little group when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up from the lightning discharge. He knew then that Kalara had entered the fight. After taking care of the ones next to Jonie she had blasted a couple more that he had been fighting. He still had one man hanging off his back with his arms around Blackheart's neck trying to choke him. He'd saved that one for last as he was effectively little more than extra weight while Blackheart was moving around. He reached over his shoulder to grab the man who quickly let go once Blackheart's claws sunk into him. The man was soon flying through the air and came to a quick stop when he thudded into the wall on the opposite side of the alley. That only left one man still on his feet: Jam.

The thug realized quite quickly that he was surrounded. He tried to make a break for it before Jonie stepped in front of him. Any thoughts he had of just running her down ended when she held up a rather large knife level with his chest. He turned away from her and came face to chest with Blackheart.

The worgen picked him up by the throat and slammed him into the alley wall. Jam winced in pain as his skull rebounded painfully off of the bricks and he would have gasped if he could have pulled air through the vice like grip Blackheart had on his throat. The worgen leaned in and gave the man a glare of pure malice before speaking to him.

"I'm going to say this once, and I'll say it slowly so your damaged brain can understand it. If you ever come near Wayne, Jonie, or any of their family again I will find you…"at this point Blackheart unsheathed one of his claws and cut a gouge into the brick wall next to Jam's head, "and I will make it so you can never bother a woman again. Do I make myself clear?"

The man gave a barely perceptible nod before gasping for breath as he was released. Jam slid down the wall and struggled to crawl over the bodies of his comrades before making a break out of one end of the dark alley. Blackheart surveyed his handiwork, looking over the groaning and unconscious thugs, before he turned to Kalara saying, "Would you make sure none of them are going to die?" She gave him a nod before going to check on them.

When Blackheart turned back to his siblings he saw that they were looking at him in fear. He could smell it coming off of them. He let out a sigh as he realized that he knew this was a likely outcome. He could only hope that once they knew who he was they would be able to relinquish their hold on that emotion.

He took a step towards them and Wayne took the knife from Jonie, brandishing it at the worgen. Blackheart could see he only had his sister's safety in mind. "Put that away before you hurt someone with it."

Wayne looked towards Jonie then back at Blackheart before lowering the knife slightly. "What do you want," he asked.

"You had both better sit down before I tell you."

His brother's eyes narrowed for a moment. "Sit down? Why should we sit down?"

Blackheart looked to Jonie then. "Please sit down? Just… trust me. I did just help you both out, so the least you could do is sit down and listen to what I have to say."

A confused look crossed Jonie's face then. Something about the worgen was familiar, startlingly so, but she couldn't place it. Even as she took a seat on a barrel in the alley and pulled Wayne down next to her she still couldn't figure it out. She felt as though she should know this worgen, but she'd never spoken to one before. It was possible she had talked to him in his human form, but somehow she didn't think so.

Wayne said, "Alright, we're sitting. Now will you tell us what you want?"

Blackheart felt Kalara come to his side then. She looked at him and said, "They'll all be… well they're not gonna be fine but they won't die. Go ahead love." She gave his arm a squeeze and backed away a step.

Before Wayne and Jonie had time to question anything, Blackheart said, "I guess the easiest thing to do is to just show you." In a flash of light Blackheart stood before them in his human form.

Both of his siblings stared at him for a few moments before Jonie gasped and covered her mouth. Wayne recovered a few moments later, whispering, "Kaleth?" He clearly, and with good reason, thought he was seeing things. When Blackheart nodded he slid off the barrel and onto his knees. Blackheart went to help him up but was intercepted by Jonie as she almost tackled him in a hug, letting out huge sobs as she clung to him. He hugged her back, something he hadn't been able to do in far too long. After a few moments Wayne climbed to his feet and joined in.

"I thought… we thought… well everyone thought you were dead." Wayne finally stammered out. "What happened?"

Blackheart hugged his siblings close before pushing them to arm's length. "How about if you take me home to mom and I'll tell all of you?"


	28. Chapter 28 Family

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 28

Family

Blackheart hugged his siblings for a long time before releasing them. It felt so good to have found his family again; he almost didn't want to let them go. He turned and found Kalara standing somewhat awkwardly off to the side. He could smell a mix of emotions coming from her: happiness, sadness, and a little bit of jealousy.

Kalara had watched silently as Blackheart was reunited with part of his family. She knew the pangs of familial loss all too well. She felt a small pang of jealousy that she viciously squashed at the fact that Blackheart at least had the opportunity to get his family back. Her parents were long since buried and she had no idea what would happen with her sister. They were on their way to find her, but whether or not she would be coming back with them was another story. She was so lost in thought that she almost jumped as Blackheart took her hand and pulled her closer to him. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her in close to stand beside him. The feeling of having him close instantly comforted her. She was always amazed by the calming effect his presence had.

"Jonie and Wayne, I want you to meet Kalara, my… girlfriend." He hesitated only a moment before saying that. Kalara was so much more than a girlfriend or some simple crush, but he wasn't honestly sure how to put that into words, at least not yet. He did notice that all of the previous sour emotions he had sensed, jealousy and sadness, were instantly replaced by happiness.

Kalara noticed it was the first time that either of his siblings had truly looked at her. She couldn't blame them though, seeing as how he had only moments before been a huge worgen dispatching their would-be attackers and was now their long lost brother. With that kind of distraction, she perfectly understood them not noticing her. Jonie, for the most part, took it all in stride with a quiet, "Pleased to meet you." Her eyes got big, sure, and she had a sort of slack jawed sense of wonder going on as she took in Kalara, but nothing out of the ordinary for a human who didn't often have interactions with draenei.

Wayne, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She felt Blackheart shaking against her and doing a poor job of holding back his laughter. His poor brother barely managed to stammer out a "Hey" and just before going completely slack jawed before he realized he was staring at her. He snapped his mouth shut and suddenly found something very interesting to examine in the ground at his feet. Even in the darkness she thought she could see his cheeks turning red. His sister punched him on the shoulder lightly. "Smooth," she said sarcastically.

"Let's not stand around in this dark alley any longer than is necessary. Wayne, why don't you lead the way home?" Blackheart's brother managed to pull himself together enough to carefully step over the unconscious thug nearest him and head up the alley. The rest of the group followed suit and, after a few minutes of navigating the streets, they came to a small house near the edge of the walled in city.

It was a single story home, looking much like the one that Blackheart had grown up in. It looked like it had three bedrooms, but it was hard to tell from just looking at the front. There was a very small patch of yard in front where a few herbs and vegetables were growing, and a more sizeable lot for a backyard. Most noticeable, to Blackheart at least, were the smells coming from the house. He could smell fresh baked bread, likely to have just come out of the oven, emanating from the house. More than anything his mother's baking reminded him of home.

Before he stepped up on the porch he stopped his siblings for a moment. "Why don't you two go on in and… I don't know… prepare Mom for me coming in. I'm not sure what to tell her, really…"

Jonie smiled and hugged him once more. "Don't worry, we'll think of something." She entered the house, nearly dragging her brother who was still staring at Kalara, though he was trying better to hide it.

Kalara could feel Blackheart tense beside her. She knew that he'd been waiting for a long time for this moment and she thought she could understand his trepidation at returning like this. She gave his arm a squeeze asking, "You ok?"

Blackheart took a few moments to answer her question before turning to look at her. It wasn't very often that she saw him like this… in fact it had only happened once or twice. It was a look of pure vulnerability. She could hear it in his voice when he responded, "I… I don't know what to say."

Kalara wrapped her arms around his neck, gently pulling him down to look her in the eyes. "I can't tell you what to say." She said softly. "What I can tell you is that all you need to worry about is saying what comes from your heart. It's pretty big, so I think you'll do alright." After a moment he smiled at her and nodded. She pulled him down for a soft kiss before saying, "Just remember, I love you and I'm right here beside you."

Blackheart hugged her as he heard footsteps approaching the door, easily lifting her off the ground for a few seconds. He could tell from her scent and soft sigh that she had never been bothered by it and seemed to like it. Once again the thought of just how insanely lucky he was to have her crossed his mind. The door slowly opened and Wayne beckoned them in.

As he stood up on the porch, Kalara holding tightly to his arm, he heard his mother's voice for the first time in what seemed like years. "What do you mean I need to sit down?" she asked in an exasperated tone. He almost stopped there but Kalara nudged him forward and he walked into the little house.

He stopped again when he saw his mother. She seemed to have aged considerably since he saw her last, but he supposed that losing a husband, and then a son, would do that to a woman. She was halfway out of the chair when she saw him and Kalara and as their eyes finally met she fell back into the seat, stunned. She let out a small gasp and covered her mouth with her hand before looking quickly back and forth between Wayne and Jonie, just to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Blackheart had tried to come up with something to say, but nothing seemed to work right, so he settled on, "Hi mom."

The sound of his voice seemed to trigger her motor skills again and she nearly leapt from her chair towards her long lost son. She slowed as she got near him and reached out a hand tentatively, as if she still wasn't sure he was real. Blackheart gently took her hand in his and that was enough for her. She wrapped him in a hug, already starting to soak his shirt with tears. "Kaleth… my son… you're home."

After a minute she regained her composure and took a step back looking at her son. She reached up and gingerly touched the small section of his ear that was missing, as well as the scars on his neck from the worgen bite.

"How?" She merely asked, but Blackheart knew she wasn't talking about his scars.

"It's a long story, and one that I've wanted to share with all of you for a very long time."

Once done with her motherly inspection to make sure he was still whole after all this time, she hugged him once again and stepped back, noticing Kalara for the first time. Angie's eyes widened a little bit at when she truly looked her. Not only did her son just return home but he'd also brought a lovely looking draenei with him. She didn't quite have the quiver out of her voice when she asked, "And who is this?"

Blackheart took Kalara's hand before saying, "Mom, I'd like to introduce you to someone who is incredibly special to me. This is Kalara. Kalara, this is my mother Angie."

Kalara saw that, while Blackheart mostly favored his father (as best as she could remember from her trip to the spirit world) he definitely had features of his mother in him. Blackheart had his father's eyes but he definitely had his mother's smile. Kalara bowed slightly saying, "I'm honored to finally meet you Mrs. Bishop."

Angie wasted no time hugging Kalara's neck, which surprised the draenei, before saying, "Please call me Angie. If you're special to Kaleth that means you're special to me as well." She turned back to look at Kaleth. "I'm assuming she plays a part in your story?"

Angie didn't miss the look in her son's eyes as he glanced over at Kalara. That was all the confirmation she needed to know what 'incredibly special' meant. Without looking away from the draenei, Blackheart said, "She is the reason I've made it this far."

Kalara scoffed slightly at this. "I'm sure you would have made it back here without my help."

Angie looked back and forth between the two before taking Blackheart's side. "Well, I'd very much like to hear how you brought my son back, Kalara."

Kalara smiled at Blackheart's mother before they all sat down at the table. Blackheart finally looked around and took in his surroundings. Most of the furnishings from his old home were here, the wood stove that heated the place up in the winter, his mother's bread oven, a pie cabinet that he remembered hearing that his grandparents had given to his parents as a wedding gift. There were a few small potted flowers to give the place some life and some scent. The kitchen table they sat at was from the old place as well, seating eight people it was possibly the largest object in the room. He could remember the neighbors visiting often to sample his mother's cooking.

His family, Kalara included, looked at Blackheart expectantly when they all were seated. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before he began. "I suppose I'll start from where you last saw me and go from there. My last deployment was sent up to Ashenvale, into Howling Vale to investigate some strange disappearances in the area. Normally the night elves would have done this, but there had been a few human disappearances as well so we were sent…"

Blackheart fully launched into his tale then. Over the next couple of hours, he went over the details of the worgen attack, his flight to Azuremyst, his memory loss, meeting and subsequent saving of Kalara. He talked of the battle with the blood elves, though he tried to keep violence out of his story. From the looks on Wayne's and Jonie's faces they would pester him for details later. His mother always seemed to get slightly pale whenever he talked about something that put him in mortal danger. He talked of helping Kalara to become a full on shaman, the saving of the elementals and Miakoda. He noticed their eyes widen at the mention of rescuing a Tauren, but he knew if they thought that that might be the strange part of his story then they were in for a ride. He retold it all, only leaving out details that usually involved him being injured in some way. When he reached the part where he had actually died he paused for a few moments before deciding to not stress his mother with that information and just saying that the boat was thrown to shore and they somehow survived and searched for survivors. When he said that he caught a look from his mother, one that he recognized from his youth. He was twenty five years old and still could not lie to her without her knowing. He felt, however, that he was justified in omitting telling his mother that he had actually died, if only for a few minutes. Occasionally Kalara would speak up and insert a part that he had missed, or her own observation on something. Blackheart could smell the relief from her when he omitted the entire part about her attacking him in Darnassus.

It was nearing midnight when he finished up his tale. His family reflected on everything he said while Kalara gripped one of his hands in hers under the table and used the other to slowly trace along the top of his hand. After having to relive some of the bad moments in his retelling, the feel of her finger on his hand was very relaxing. After a few minutes of contemplation, Angie looked up and said, "Well… I guess there's just one last thing for you to show me then."

Blackheart arched and eyebrow in confusion. "What did I leave out?"

"Well, all this talk of you being able to jump into trees and smell things and I still don't know what you look like as a worgen."

Blackheart looked at his mother for a few moments before answering. "Are you certain?"

His mother nodded to him, though he did notice she held her hands together tightly to stop them from trembling. He untangled his hand from Kalara's before standing up and stepping a few feet back from the table. He nodded to his mother before a flash of darkness completely covered his body, obscuring him for a moment before it parted to reveal his large worgen form.

To his mother's credit her only reaction was a slight widening of her eyes. She rose slowly to her feet before coming over to stand in front of him. She could see that his eyes were still an icy blue and his fur seemed to match his hair color. Blackheart bent forward as she reached for his face; eight feet is a long reach from someone under six. She cupped his face in her hand, just as she had when he had been a boy. "At least I won't have to fuss at you about catching a cold now, with all this fur."

Blackheart could only stare at his mother in amazement for a few moments before issuing a deep chuckle. He should have known she would have accepted his other form this readily, but there had been a lingering fear that she would somehow be upset. His brother and sister came over as well, examining him.

His brother motioned to Blackheart's sword which lay in its scabbard, unbuckled and leaning against the wall. "Can you still use a sword like that?"

Blackheart nodded. "Certainly, but I have other weapons I can use as well." He flexed his hands, extending his razor sharp claws slightly before retracting them.

His sister, who had to lean back just to see his face, asked quietly, "Does it… hurt to change?"

Blackheart looked at Kalara and, from the grimace on her face, he could tell that she too was remembering the first time that he had changed. It had definitely been a painful experience, and she had been there to share it with him. Having ones bones rearranged slowly was not pleasant. He noticed a slight smile on her face in short order though. Their memories were obviously moving in the same direction because, while the change had been excruciatingly painful it had also lead to one the best moments of his life: the first time he had kissed Kalara.

His sister looked back and forth between the two, slightly confused. "What?" she asked.

Blackheart shook his head. "Nothing Jonie. To answer your question… it used to hurt. A lot. Kalara was with me the first time and it was… well it was bad. My entire bone structure had to be rearranged. I also somehow lose a finger when I change to a worgen, but it comes back when I'm human." He waved his four fingered hand for emphasis. "I have no idea really how it works, it just does. Now I don't feel a thing." His sister frowned a bit at his mention of it hurting.

Blakcheart heard Kalara yawn, and could see that the others were tired as well. "I believe it's time we all got some sleep." He said, moving to pick up his gear. "We've got a place at the inn where Jonie works, actually, so I believe we'll just head back there." He shifted into his human form and buckled on the rest of his equipment.

He hugged his siblings and his mother goodbye, and she gave him a peck on the cheek before saying, "Well, if you're sure you wouldn't rather stay here… we'll have a huge breakfast in the morning so you better get back here bright and early!" Blackheart smiled to his mother before waving a final goodbye as he and Kalara stepped out into the night.

The walk back to the inn was quiet and uneventful. A comfortable silence had fallen over the two of them as they had left the home. They reached the inn a short while later and were let in after a few soft knocks by a sleep attendant. Once they were in their room, Blackheart took off his equipment and sat down on the bed with a sigh. Kalara sat down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder and waited for him to speak. When he didn't say anything for a while Kalara looked up at him, brushing some of his hair aside so she could see his face better. "Are you ok Furball?" she asked quietly.

He smiled at her before answering which elicited a smile of her own in turn... light how she loved his smile. "It felt so strange to be in with my family, but not be in our old home. I think that was the weirdest part. Most of the furniture was there but the… feel of the place was different." After a short pause he shook his head. "Maybe I'm just being crazy."

Kalara idly scratched at the base of Blackheart's neck and he leaned into her touch. Sometimes he really was like a big puppy, but she definitely didn't mind. "I don't think you're crazy. I know it can be hard to see your home left behind and your family move."

He kissed her once before getting up to get ready for bed. "We need to get some shut eye, a huge breakfast like they're going to prepare is definitely something we do not want to miss."

As they laid down, Kalara comfortably snuggled up against Blackheart, they both had their own troubled thoughts to work through. Blackheart felt… out of place. It wasn't that he didn't love his family anymore or that they loved him any less, he knew that wasn't true. He just didn't feel that he belonged here anymore. He had somehow grown apart from this place and, while he knew he'd always be welcome with his mother, this wasn't stopping place for him, and he doubted that he would ever live here again.

Kalara, on the other hand, was thinking thoughts in the opposite direction. She knew she couldn't stay here; she had to find her sister if there was even a remote chance that she was alive. But what of Blackheart? Here his family was, finally reunited after so long. Would he be willing to come with her? Was she willing to take him away from them just after he got them and would he somehow resent her for that? Blackheart must have sensed her worry, he was disturbingly good at that sometimes and pulled her just a little bit closer and kissed the back of her neck. Those two small actions seemed to drain all of the tension out of her and she drifted off to sleep.

When Kalara slowly woke up she noticed a distinct absence of warmth by her side. Blackheart was just coming back into the room. He, of course, had woken up well before dawn out of habit. She thought about grumbling something about waking up at ungodly hours but remembered the promise of an amazing meal to be had. And amazing it was once they had gotten to his family's house. Kalara didn't understand how Angie and Jonie had found the time to cook all of this food. Platters were laid out around the table with biscuits, gravy, sausage, eggs, bacon, ham, and pancakes. There little containers of syrup, molasses, and a croc of butter with jam. Blackheart was on his third full plate before he even started to slow down, and Kalara definitely understood why. It was all absolutely delicious. It was so good, in fact, that she was putting more on her plate well after she knew she should stop.

Finally able to hold no more, Blackheart eased his plate back and adopted a relaxed sitting position. They all sat in a comfortable silence for a time and talked of little things such as what Wayne and Jonie were doing now and what all had happened since he had been gone before Angie finally got up to start cleaning up. Jonie was up quickly after that to help her and Kalara decided to pitch in as well. After the massive meal, the least she thought she could do for them was to help out.

As Blackheart started to stand and help, his mother looked very pointedly at Wayne before saying to him, "Kaleth, why don't you go out back and help Wayne chop some more wood for us while Kalara helps me out with the dishes, hmm? Winter will get here soon and you can never have too much firewood."

Kalara could tell from her tone of voice, and Blackheart's reaction, that it was less of a request and more of a command. Blackheart eased his plate down and looked at Kalara before nodding and heading out into the back yard with his brother. Kalara felt some trepidation at being at being in the house with Blackheart's mother, but she had been completely nice so far. She assumed that Angie wanted to talk with her privately and so she continued what she was doing, carrying the dishes to a wash basin that was near the window looking out to the backyard. As she cleaned she watched Blackheart take large sections of wood and easily hoist them up on the chopping block and then cleanly bring the splitting maul down through them, separating them in one quick motion. He must have done that a lot while living at home, and being seven feet of well-muscled soldier probably didn't hurt either.

Angie moved up next to her, watching Kalara watch her son. She remained quiet for a time as they cleaned before she spoke. "You love him."

Kalara nearly dropped the plate she was holding and she looked over at Angie. Angie was looking at her son chopping wood. As she started to respond she was aware it wasn't a question, but a statement. "Yes I do. Very much." Kalara said, cautiously.

Angie just nodded. "I could tell nearly from the moment you both walked in. I've seen the way you look at him; it's the way I looked at his father. Even without seeing that, just the fact that he introduced you like that in itself is special."

"How so?" Kalara asked, somewhat confused. He had introduced her as special to his mother, but she didn't see why that particularly mattered. Blackheart hadn't talked at all of any past love interests. Then again neither had she… but she didn't really have any for that matter.

"Well because in all the years he lived with us he's never brought anyone else home."

That pulled Kalara up short. He'd never actually brought a girl home? How could that be? He was obviously interested in women, perhaps he'd never had the time? They had to have been interested in him.

"I just don't think he ever found anyone interesting enough to hold his attention. There were girls that vied for his attention, sure, but they gave up in short order, usually. I asked him about it after I had to run one of the more interested ones off from visiting the house every other day. Never a once did he say what I expected to hear. His reasons weren't 'she's not pretty enough' or 'her family is poor' or any of that shallow nonsense. His reasons were always very good, in my opinion. It was all 'she's not interesting' or 'I don't want to be with someone who's not at least as smart as a doorknob'. That was a good one." Angie chuckled to herself as she thought of her son describing one of the more dense women that had tried to get him.

Kalara looked out the window with renewed interest in Blackheart. He was sweating now from the exertion of chopping and had taken his shirt off. She could definitely tell why he'd had so many girls after him and it warmed her heart that she was the only one he had wanted. She realized that she was standing next to his mother and staring intently at his half naked form so she concentrated harder on her dishes.

Angie continued on in silence for another few minutes before quietly saying, "He has just come home… but you will take him from me."

This time Kalara couldn't stop herself and dropped the plate, not even caring to watch as it shattered against the floor. She looked at Blackheart's mother in dismay, not knowing what to think. She stammered for a few moments before she could speak. "I… I would never take him from you."

"So you'll stay here then, live out your days in Theramore?" Angie never raised her voice, nor did she seem angry. She was just quietly talking.

"Well… no I have to leave. I have to find my sister."

"And you don't think he'll follow you?" She asked, finally stopping to look at Kalara. The draenei felt she was pretty good at reading Blackheart's expressions but she couldn't tell at all what his mother was feeling.

"It's… well it's his choice to follow me. I'm not going to make him do it." She stammered again. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when Angie had sent Blackheart outside. "If he wants to stay then he will stay."

Angie tilted her head to one side, arching an eyebrow that was a near copy of Blackheart's expression. "Don't beat around the bush. If you go, will he follow you?"

Kalara's face fell. She knew the answer, or thought she did anyway. Blackheart had promised to help her find his sister and he never, ever broke his promises. Except about staying out of trouble, but she didn't hold those against him. In a quiet voice she answered, "Yes… he will most likely come with me when I leave."

Angie nodded, though she still was unreadable. "And will you keep him safe?"

Kalara nodded. "I would do anything to protect him, though he seems to spend most of his time saving me." Kalara idly noticed that Jonie was watching the entire conversation, the dish she was drying completely forgotten in her hands.

Angie considered Kalara for a few moments then nodded and turned back to her dishes. Kalara wasn't entirely sure what she was thinking, until she said, "I knew last night that he wouldn't be staying. As much as I would love to have him come back home, his place isn't here any longer. Maybe before his… change he would have been content to live out his days just down the road from me, but even then I think he was destined to do something greater. From what I have seen he's helped a great deal of people, even if it's risky to him to do it. He's turned out to be the man I knew he could be and one I can be proud of. And now he's brought home a woman…," she said turning back to Kalara and studying her for a few minutes before slowly reaching up and cupping her face, the same way she had done to Blackheart the previous evening. "He's brought home a woman who is, as far as I can tell, beautiful, kind, intelligent, and capable; a woman that I can feel proud to have as part of my family. I feel confident in saying that I know you'll do everything you can to love him and keep him safe." Kalara could see Angie's eyes starting to glisten, and she could feel the moisture in her own as well. "I know that you're taking him from me, but I want you to know that you go with my blessing. Just… bring him back every now and again for visits when you're not off saving the world, eh?"

Kalara could hardly believe the blessing she had received, but chose not to question it. Instead she drew Angie into an embrace. It wasn't terribly long before she heard the door swing open and Blackheart hustled into the room, sweeping the room for danger until he spotted Kalara and Angie, as well as the remnants of the plate that he had heard shatter.

Wayne came skidding into the room a few seconds later as Kalara and Angie broke their hug. "What's going on?" He asked. "One minute you're there with the splitting maul and the next I swear there was a cloud of dust behind you, you came running so fast." He looked around at the room before finally noticing the pieces of plate all over the place. "You heard them drop a plate and came running?" He asked incredulously.

Kalara nodded to Blackheart, just a small reassurance that everything was fine, before he answered Wayne. "Well… let's just say my life's been… interesting for a while now and it pays to notice the little things."

"Obviously." He said before he finally noticed strange looks on his mother's and Kalara's faces. Confused, he asked, "What did I miss."

Jonie smirked at him before replying, "Girl stuff, nothing for you two to worry about."

Wayne looked at each of them once more before throwing his hands up in defeat and walking back out of the house. "Women," Blackheart could hear him mutter as he left.

As Blackheart turned to follow his brother, he heard his mother call out to him. "Kaleth, I'd like to speak to you for a moment." As he turned back he was confused by her tone, and her smell. Nervous wasn't an attributed he often associated with his mother.

Kalara watched as Blackheart followed his mother into her room. She wasn't exactly sure what Angie wanted to talk to her son about and Kalara, once again, felt some trepidation during her wait. She was just about tired of feeling like something bad 'might' be about to happen but there wasn't anything she could do about it. Strangely enough, she felt better about fighting off demons or Horde than having to face her lover's mother for any kind of serious talk. It wasn't long before they came back out. Blackheart seemed to be slightly stunned when he came out of the room, but managed to recover himself quickly. She would have to ask him how about it later.

The rest of the day was spent relatively free of serious conversation. Wayne had taken Blackheart and Kalara by the blacksmith where he was apprenticing. Kalara noticed that Blackheart had relaxed visibly when Wayne had decided not to join the military. She couldn't blame him considering the fates of Blackheart's father, as well as Blackheart himself. Wayne was apparently quite handy with a hammer, according to the smith at least, and was quickly on his way to getting out of the apprentice status. His mother showed him off to the bakery she worked at, easily fulfilling the role of a doting parent with her long lost son.

Now that they were in a mainly human populated town, Kalara started to notice the other women who were Blackheart's age staring at him slightly longer than they should have for just any stranger. She felt her jealousy rise slightly each time they passed by. Blackheart, his nose leading the way, immediately noticed and took Kalara's hand for the rest of the journey. That warded off most of the stares, plus it made her happy. A win/win in Kalara's book.

As the sun started to dip below the horizon the group made their way back to his family's house. Angie started preparing the evening meal and Kalara happily assisted while Blackheart spent more time with his siblings, finding himself suddenly in the role of relationship and life advice guru for them. There was an occasional burst of laughter from the worgen which always made Kalara smile.

Once the meal had been served, and finished, they sat in relative silence for a few minutes. Blackheart sighed quietly before looking at his family. "Mom, Wayne, Jonie… as much as I would like to stay I'm going to be leaving tomorrow."

His mother nodded without a word, but his siblings objected immediately. "You can't leave, you just got here!" and "I haven't even had a chance to make anything at the smithy for you yet!"

"I know I just returned but remember me telling you about Kalara's sister? Well she's still out there and we still need to find her. Her sister has been gone for longer than I have. I promise though that once we sort that out I'll come back for an extended visit, ok?"

Jonie already had tears in her eyes and Wayne looked to be fighting them. His sister came around the table and hugged him fiercely for a few minutes and soon her brother joined in. His mother finally came over and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek before letting him go again. Angie and Jonie hugged Kalara as well. Blackheart, not being one for overlong goodbyes, left after that and headed back for the inn.

Like the previous night, they returned to the inn in relative silence, but this time it wasn't quite as comfortable as the last. Kalara was seemed to be brooding for each step of the way from Blackheart's house to their room. Blackheart sat down on the bed but noticed that Kalara remained standing, her arms crossed over her chest with an unpleasant frown on her face.

Blackheart watched Kalara for a few more unpleasant moments before he decided she wasn't going to be the first one to speak. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She took a few moments to respond, seeming on the verge of speaking multiple times before she finally did manage to voice her thoughts and she did so without looking at him. "I can't ask you to come with me any further."

Blackheart was more than a little stunned. Of all the things he thought she would say, that wasn't one of them.

"I can't ask you to just leave your family now that you've found them and come traipsing across the world with me. Something could happen to you, something that I can't fix, and they might not ever see you again." She stuttered slightly at the thought of something else bad happening to Blackheart, but she knew with where she was headed it was a very real possibility.

She felt Blackheart move to stand in front of her and tried to look away but couldn't resist when he gently tipped her chin up so he could look at her and she was once again lost in his deep blue eyes. His next words were soft and reassuring.

"Yes, I did find my family after being away from them, but that doesn't suddenly mean I'm going to let you go alone off on a dangerous journey."

"But what about your family? Don't you care about them?" Kalara responded.

"Of course I care about them. I love my family and would love to be able to stay here for a lot longer, just to catch up with them on what all has happened since I've been away."

"Well why don't you?"

"Because I made a promise to you to find your sister."

As much as she wanted Blackheart with her, she couldn't stand the thought of taking him from his family again. "To hell with your promise! How can you just abandon them?" Kalara didn't know where her anger was coming from, but she couldn't seem to shut her mouth and stem the flow. "Don't you know how important having family is? Regardless of whatever promise you made to me, how can you think of leaving your mother and your siblings behind? You've barely even seen them, and I for one am not going to be responsible for taking you away from you family and your home." She had tears in her eyes now and managed to break away from Blackheart, turning her back to him for a short while.

She heard Blackheart harrumph behind her before she heard him whisper, "She was right, as always." Before she had a chance to question it she felt his hands on her shoulders. "Kalara, do you love me?" he asked.

"Of course I do! That's why I can't –"

Blackheart cut her off by turning her around to face him and putting a finger to her lips. "And you're worried about taking me away from my family and home?"

She nodded, unable to talk because of his finger.

"Then, as it is, I only see one solution."

This was it, she decided, where Blackheart would finally come to his senses even if she didn't want him to. She thought back to when she had first told him of how her family had died, how she was alone, and how he had told her that he was there for her. Her time with him had been wonderful. Fraught with peril, yes, but it had been amazing nonetheless, but now… now it seemed like it would come to an end... and then Blackheart did something that she never saw coming.

Blackheart pulled her to him and kissed her passionately and she was unable to resist returning the gesture. Once their lips finally parted he rested his forehead on hers, looked into her eyes, and said, "Kalara, I love you. I love you with every fiber of my being. I've never known anyone like you and I never will. It's been said that home is where the heart is. Well, you have my heart. It's yours, forever if you wish it to be." He paused long enough to pull something out of his pocket. It was silk wrapped bundle, very small, and when he revealed what it was she gasped. Carefully wrapped in the silk was a silver ring with a small diamond in it. The diamond was set in such a way that it looked as if the ring had been pried apart and the diamond set into the separate sections, but the ring was one single piece. "My father gave this to my mother many years ago… and now I'm giving it to you. Kalara… I love you and I want you to be mine, forever. Marry me, so that I can spend my life with you and will never have to be apart from my family, or my home, again. Will you marry me?"

A torrent of relief washed through Kalara then, followed quickly by happiness. The tears once again sprang to her eyes, but this time they were tears of happiness and joy. It took her a few moments before she could find her voice to say yes. Kalara threw her arms around Blackheart and held him tightly for a few minutes before he eased her back and placed the ring on her finger. It was, to both of their surprises, a perfect fit.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "I want nothing more than to spend the rest of our lives together." She began kissing him then, softly at first, then more passionately as she let her emotions flow free. She pushed Blackheart down onto the bed before climbing on him and raining more kisses down on him. They both lost their clothing and Kalara stretched, and watched, as Blackheart took in and appreciated what he was seeing. She was no longer embarrassed by him seeing her like that… in fact she was beginning to enjoy it. She leaned over and whispered in his hear, "I want you."

Blackheart paused for a moment before looking her in the eyes. He used what little self-control he had left to ask, "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." She responded. Blackheart willingly obliged.

Hours later as they lay together just enjoying one another's presence. Once Blackheart had finally fallen asleep, Kalara was awake for a few minutes longer, thoroughly enjoying his warmth. She thought about all that had happened that day and how lucky, and happy, she felt to be next to him. She knew now, more than ever, that no matter what troubles came her way she would never have to face them alone again.


	29. Chapter 29 Theramore Harbor

Of Claws and Totems

Chapter 29

Theramore Harbor

When Blackheart woke just before the dawn he chose to forgo his usual routine of leaving the bed to view it. After the night he had shared with Kalara he decided instead to just enjoy the feeling of lying next to his beautiful fiancé. He was pleased to see that they were still wrapped in each other's arms and Kalara's head was snuggled into his chest. He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead which caused her to smile in her sleep and hug him tighter, much to his pleasure.

In the silence of the morning, Blackheart took the time to really reflect on how he had gotten to this point in his life. His memory before his turning was still a little hazy and, he suspected, it always would be. But even with the memories of his childhood he still felt that his time spent with Kalara was the best he had ever experienced. He looked at his free hand which he flexed, still amazed that he could somehow transform into a worgen and back in an instant and that it no longer caused him pain. He realized that while at the time he was most displeased with being bitten and turned he wouldn't trade it for anything now. It gave him an edge over most other creatures and he could use that edge to protect Kalara. That, more than anything, was what he intended to spend the rest of his life doing. Protecting her and making her happy.

As if awoken by his thoughts, she murmured and her eyelids fluttered open to look up at him. "Good morning," she murmured.

He kissed her forehead again. "Good morning love. How are you feeling today?" He couldn't help but stare into the glowing orbs that made up Kalara's eyes.

Kalara smiled. "Better than I can ever remember being." her voice trailed off and she whispered so quietly that he almost couldn't hear, _"_My_ idièros_."

Blackheart arched an eyebrow at her use of draenic. He'd never really heard her speak it much around him, and he quickly realized that he would like to hear more. He also wanted to learn the language that she had spoken growing up. There would be time for that later. The one specific word she had used seemed to almost have weight to it. "What does that word mean?"

Kalara smiled one of her shy smiles before giving him a lingering kiss. In a quiet voice she whispered, "In common the closest I can think of it meaning is 'my one love' but it's a lot more than that."

"More than that? How so?"

"Well… if I were to tell another draenei that you were my _idièros_ there would be certain expectations of them, me, and you. Sort of like if you told some human I was your wife they would expect you to treat me a certain way and for me to act a certain way. The Draenic word though is much more… binding. There is more weight to it than wife or husband. If I were to do something to hurt you, and it was known that you were my _idièros, _I would be shunned as the worst type of oath breaker and backstabber, known to never be taken at my word again. The same would go for you, or anyone else that tried to interfere with us. It's… it's not used very often. Even between couples that have been together for a very long time, they don't want to use it for fear that one of them will slip up." She finished her explanation before resuming her quiet, clearly expectant gaze.

Blackheart nodded. It was definitely a serious claim… and one that he was completely comfortable in accepting. He returned her gaze, sensing the love that was coming from her. Out of everything he had experienced, the scent of her love for him was the most delicious smell he had ever encountered. "Well then my _idièros" _he stumbled slightly over the odd pronunciation, but not too terribly, "I'm glad that you feel that way."

Kalara's heart swelled once again when he returned the claim over her. She could hardly believe how lucky she felt. She kissed him fully intending on it being a quick peck but, entwined as they still were, that's not quite how it ended up… not that either of them minded.

When they were finally able to extricate themselves a few hours later they packed their things up, armed themselves, and left the inn. Blackheart had taken them in the general direction of the harbor when Kalara asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"Well, the last time I was here there were boats that crossed the ocean from here to Menethil Harbor a few times a day. We'll go to the harbor here and see what we can find out. Hopefully we can get passage out soon."

They took their time, meandering through the streets and making their way through to the harbor. Kalara enjoyed the slow walk with her arm linked through Blackheart's, just taking in the sights and sounds that had filled his childhood. As they walked, he would occasionally point to something that caught his interest and tell her a quick story. It was a vastly different place to grow up in than her own initial childhood on the Exodar and then growing up on Azuremyst. It was much more peaceful there. While she could see the benefits of living in a larger city and having whatever amenities available that she could want, she was already missing the quiet solitude of her small town. She knew Blackheart wouldn't settle here so maybe, once they were done with all the fighting and saving people, she could convince him to settle in a small place.

Blackheart slowed down as he read the sign in front of a store and a bit of recognition came to him. The sign read, in violently bright pink letters, 'Maleah's Mixes'. He could see a listing of prices on the front glass showing the prices for healing potions, mana potions, and even love potions.

"Well this is definitely a new shop. Should we go in and see how Maleah and Thrak are doing?"

Kalara nodded eagerly. "I'd love to."

As they started up the steps towards the shop, Blackheart pulled to a stop suddenly. His sixth sense about danger was prickling at the base of his neck… and getting stronger.

"What is it?" Kalara asked. She knew the look on his face and whatever it was that Blackheart had sensed, it was bad.

"I'm not sure… something's wrong." He started to move forward again, but before he could, his danger sense flared and he saw a bright flash from within the shop. Quick as a thought he wrapped himself protectively around Kalara as the concussion from the explosion reached the front of the store and shattered the glass, sending sharp pieces out over them, followed by an acrid stench and smoke.

Blackheart stood up and shook the shards of glass off of himself while Kalara carefully checked him for injuries. Finding nothing, they both rushed into the store. It appeared as any other shops might, with wares lining the shelves and price tags below them and bins of items scattered around… with the one major exception that nearly everything was in the floor and there were more shards of broken glass around. They reached the back counter of the store a moment later to find what had caused the explosion.

At the center of a ring of charred floor sat a blackened and very dazed Maleah. The little gnome's violently pink hair had been scorched mostly black, she was missing one of her eyebrows, her face was a bright shade of red, as were her hands, and her eyes held kind of a glazed over look. In one hand she held an empty beaker, as though she had been pouring something out of it. In the other hand she held the remains of another beaker… the apparent source of the explosion.

After exchanging a quick glance, Blackheart and Kalara rushed over to the gnome. Blackheart could already sense the healing magic coalescing in Kalara's hands as they reached Maleah. Kalara's magic wouldn't regrow the hair the gnome had lost, but it fixed the burns and the cuts from the exploding glass beaker well enough. Once her face had returned to its normal color, Maleah shook her head and looked around her. She took in Blackheart and Kalara standing over her, and then looked down at the beakers. She let out a little shriek of dismay when she realized her concoction had exploded.

Blackheart heard heavy, thudding footsteps before Thrak rushed in through the front of the store. He took in the scene in an instant and rushed over to make sure his wife was ok. "What in blazes happened here?"

Maleah was still making dismayed noises about her failed experiment, so Blackheart answered. "We were on our way to the docks and saw the shop, so we thought we would stop by. Before we could get in, something inside exploded and, well, you can see what we found. Kalara has healed her so she should be alright."

Thrak nodded. "Thank you, shaman, for that. If I've told her once I've told her a thousand bloody times to not mix any potions while I'm not around. Blasted woman never listens though. That's the fifth window we've replaced this year." He sighed and proceeded to remove the beakers from the gnome's hands. She grasped at them as he took them away, like a child would at a toy. With a rueful glance at Kalara and Blackheart he balled up a fist and bonked her lightly on the head.

Blackheart growled at that, as much as a human can make a growling noise, and was about to intervene but was stopped by Kalara's hand on his arm. She gestured to the gnome, and when he looked at her she shook her head and her eyes seemed to come back to focus on what was around her. She looked up at Thrak and immediately started apologizing and let loose with a quick, massive run on sentence.

"I know you told me not to but I just had to try and mix and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blow the shop up again but I just had a fantastic idea for a new potion and couldn't wait to try it out so I wrote it down and then I tried to wait but it seemed like you were gone forever and so I just had to try it and it was going so well but I must have missed something in the percolation process and it... it… " She was starting to get a little teary eyed and started to hyperventilate until Thrak sighed and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"It's alright my dear, the place isn't on fire… this time… and yer ok… this time… so it's not a big deal. Just try to be more careful, aye?" The dwarf lifted her to her feet and did his best to wipe some of the smudges from her face. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and I'll see to the shop, ok?"

Maleah nodded and walked back behind the counter and through a door at the back of the shop. Thrak watched her go before turning to Blackheart and Kalara and shrugging his shoulders as if to say 'what are you gonna do?' before he retrieved a broom and started to sweep out the small alchemy shop. At virtually the same time, the worgen and draenei grabbed the other spare brooms and set to helping him.

Once the shop had been cleaned to Thrak's satisfaction, with all of the bits of shattered glass and extra potion removed from the shop floor and all of the other stock replaced on the shelves, the dwarf addressed them, "You have my thanks for helping out with all that."

"No problem at all, I just hope Maleah will be alright." Kalara said with a frown. "She looked pretty dazed when we came in here. I don't know how she was still conscious after that blast."

Thrak started rummaging behind the counter as her smirked and said, "Gnomes seem to have a higher propensity than normal for survivin' blasts of their own makin'. I've never understood it meself, but luckily for the wife that seems to be the case, so I'll just be happy with it." He continued looking around the counter before letting out an 'Aha!' and producing two flasks of a brilliantly red solution.

Thrak walked over to Blackheart and Kalara with the flasks held out at arm's length. "As thanks for the help, take these high-powered healing flasks. Before ye even think of turning them down, don't even try. Just take em'."

Blackheart and Kalara graciously accepted the flasks before storing them away. "Is there anything else we can do to help?" The worgen asked.

"Not unless one of ye can magic up a window to fix the front of the shop. Other than that, I think ye've helped out enough."

Turning to leave, Kalara said, "Give our regards to Maleah when you can, and tell her to be more careful!"

Once they had left the shop, avoiding a few more piles of broken glass that littered the storefront, the two continued heading towards the docks. At their leisurely pace they arrived at lunch time. Walking through the growing crowd, Blackheart approached the notice board that displayed, among other things, when the chartered transport boats were to set out for the other continent.

Pointing at one of the listings, Blackheart said, "There's a boat coming in a couple of hours. How does that sound?"

Kalara nodded in agreement. "Whatever you think is best." The draenei's stomach chose that moment to grumble rather loudly. Covering her face up in embarrassment, she said, "Also, if we could get something to eat before we go, that would be great."

Smiling at her, he said, "I'm sure I could find a few places. Maybe even get you some fish and chips. It's nothing exotic, but it is a staple in port towns like this."

As the two were turning to leave, a voice filled with scorn shouted out to them. Well, more specifically to Blackheart. "So Bishop, I see you've finally decided to stop being AWOL and grace us with your presence."

After feeling the way that Blackheart immediately went rigid, she didn't even have to look at his face to know he was controlling his anger. She located the source of the voice, a human dressed in the outfit of the Theramore guards, but with extra chevrons of rank denoting him an officer. He was… well, he was rather dashing honestly. If it weren't for the fact that she could feel Blackheart's rage for the man, she might have said he was attractive. As it was though, all she saw was an enemy, though she didn't yet know what the problem was.

As the worgen was getting a grip on his anger, the officer swaggered up to them. He had been standing with a group of what looked like new recruits. They remained in their formation as they watched the man walk up to Blackheart. Once close enough she saw that he was a little taller than her, but definitely not as tall as Blackheart. His armor was shined to perfection and he rested one hand on the sword at his left hip and the other on the small crop at his right. He must have been some type of drill instructor, as those were the only people Kalara had ever remembered seeing carrying the small whip like instrument.

Maintaining the derision he had before the man said, "I can't believe my luck. Just a few days after my promotion and one of my least favorite deserters returns home. What's it been Bishop, a couple of years? I'll be glad to watch your court marital. Maybe you'll only get off with being flogged."

While Blackheart was getting his thoughts in order to speak, Kalara said, "Court martial? Deserter? What are you even talking about?"

The officer looked at Kalara for the first time, apparently just noticing her there. He eyed her up and down and, as a look of distaste crossed his features, apparently didn't like what he saw. "Not that you have any right to know our military business, draenei, but Bishop here and his squad abandoned their mission a few years ago. No one ever reported back and, as such, have all been labeled as cowards. I should have known you wouldn't be man enough to fight a few worgen."

Kalara knew what had happened on his mission… his squad had all been killed by worgen and Blackheart himself had been turned. Now it was her turn to mask her anger. Seeing as how he was an officer, striking him down with lightning would probably not be the best way to go about things. Blackheart, however, had finally collected himself enough to speak.

In a much calmer voice than she expected, Blackheart said, "You labeled us as deserters huh? I should have expected that coming from you Williams. You always were an idiot."

Williams looked shocked. The new recruits behind him were just watching the exchange, and didn't seem too bothered by someone insulting their superior. Even being new they already held a distaste for Williams.

Before Williams had a chance to speak, the worgen continued. "If anyone here is the coward, it's you. _You_ were the one given the assignment. _You_ were the officer that was supposed to lead us into the Howling Vale that day as I recall, but you had a 'tummy ache' and couldn't be bothered so the job fell to me. _You _were the one that decided that six of us would be enough to clear out a worgen infestation. And now they've promoted you again? It must be nice to have a father someone has to suck up to."

As he had been talking, his voice had been getting colder and more menacing. Williams was still trying to get a word in, but Blackheart just rushed right over him.

"And a few worgen? What is your idea of a few Williams? They must have skipped out on counting and basic intelligence gathering when they rushed you up through the ranks, because if they hadn't you might have known that there were dozens of worgen in the Vale." By now, he was almost shouting. "Six men to fight over twenty of the most vicious predators to walk Azeroth. How well do you think it went? Jameson died first. We didn't even see them coming. One moment we were marching in, the next a worgen has its fangs in his neck. Marle and Stokes went next; they were jumped just trying to get the worgen off of Jameson. In five seconds, it was down to three of us against twenty of them. Markson and Smythe went down fighting, taking several of the creatures with them. They all died that day because of YOUR idiotic decision. It's only a shame you didn't come with us so you could have shared their fate. If anything they should be labeled as heroes, for braving a fight their superior officer chickened out on."

Williams was shocked, to say the least. No one yelled at him like this. Not with him being an officer and his father being one of the generals of the Theramore army. It just didn't happen. Even if what Bishop was saying was true, what about him then? He obviously had fled the fight. "Well, that may as well be, but you're here and not dead with the rest. You escaped. If that doesn't make you a coward I'm not sure what does. And as far as that goes, I've fought worgen. If you six couldn't handle yourselves, you obviously weren't cut out to make it in the army anyway."

In a flash of darkness Blackheart stood in his worgen form. "Is THIS what you call escaping? That's not how I see it. And you've fought worgen? Don't make me laugh."

All of the recruits had taken a step back when Blackheart had shifted to his worgen form. They all knew that Williams should have dropped it then, but he was obviously too stupid to grasp that concept. They all saw him go for his sword and, if all else failed, at least they'd have something to talk about over mess tonight.

With a tremor in his voice, Williams reached for his sword and said, "This is the last I'll hear of this insubordination. I'm going to cut you down where you stand!"

Blackheart sensed him going for the weapon as well. Williams had just gotten it clear of the scabbard when the worgen lunged, easily covering the few feet between them, and lashed out, knocking the sword from his hand and likely breaking something as well. With a grunt Blackheart grabbed the edges of Williams shiny armor, his claws piercing through it in some places, and lifted him completely off the ground, "We worgen are faster, stronger, and far more vicious than you could possibly imagine." He held Williams there, face to face for a short while, before dropping him on his butt in the street. He turned to address the recruits. "If somehow this… man is ever put in charge of you, always double check the intel before going on the mission. I hope mine was the last squad he sends to their deaths."

Before turning to leave, Blackheart crouched in front of the quivering officer. "And if you even think about attempting to have me tried, think about this for a while. I'm now a citizen of Gilneas, a protector within the Earthen Ring and the Hand of Argus, and Tyrande Whisperwind owes me one. That equals a political shit storm that even your father couldn't get you out of."

With that he got up and in a flash of light returned to his human form. Taking Kalara's hand he turned and left Williams shaking in the dust. Once they had made it to the docks and near some of the restaurants, Blackheart gripped the railing overlooking the bay and let out a long breath. Kalara watched him for a while and saw him slowly relaxing from his confrontation.

Rubbing his back, she asked, "Are you alright, Furball? Do you want to talk about it?"

Leaning into her touch, Blackheart said, "Yes… I am now. I had almost forgotten about that idiot and had buried his memory in the past with the death of my squad. I don't think I'll have to worry about it anymore. I'll tell you about it later, right now I'd just like to calm down."

Kalara smiled and kissed his cheek before taking his arm and leading him down the boardwalk. "Well, if you think you can avoid any more yelling matches, maybe we could get something to eat now?"

* * *

**Author's Note**

I am well aware that it has been a startlingly long amount of time since I've written, and for that I apologize. I would still dearly love to finish this story. I've found, however, that I apparently write from the heart and mine hasn't been whole for a long time. I just don't have the drive to write like I used to. Once again, I apologize for not keeping the story up to date. I will attempt to write more soon, but I won't make any promises that I don't know I can keep. Thank you for reading.


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